Beating the ‘churning’ trap in the youth labour market

In this article, the author argues that young people who ‘churn’ between welfare and the ‘bottom step of the employment ladder’ are actually restricted by a welfare regime that is more attuned to meeting the short-term skill needs of employers in the more casualised job sectors. It is proposed that welfare-to-work aim to build the intermediate skills base, currently underdeveloped in the UK, to meet the demand for intermediate technical and business skills that are not currently serviced by government provisions. The author explores the employability approach to youth unemployment and...  [+] Show more

In this article, the author argues that young people who ‘churn’ between welfare and the ‘bottom step of the employment ladder’ are actually restricted by a welfare regime that is more attuned to meeting the short-term skill needs of employers in the more casualised job sectors. It is proposed that welfare-to-work aim to build the intermediate skills base, currently underdeveloped in the UK, to meet the demand for intermediate technical and business skills that are not currently serviced by government provisions. The author explores the employability approach to youth unemployment and the UK skills requirement, concluding with an outline of the proposed skills-based welfare-to-work approach.