ROUNDHOUSE – WRITTEN EVIDENCE (YUN0012)
Youth Unemployment Committee inquiry
The Roundhouse is one of the most incredible live performance spaces in the world but it’s also a charity that works with nearly 7,500 young people each year. Through projects in music, media, and the performing arts as well as entrepreneurial and leadership programmes, young people develop their skills and confidence through creativity. We help them find new perspectives and new directions. Whether it’s helping someone get into education, or out of a rut. Or supporting their early career in the creative industries.
Challenges
1. What are the main challenges facing young people seeking employment today? How do structural factors impact youth unemployment, and how might these be addressed?
- In 2019 we released the Self-Made Sector report alongside Partnership for Young London. The report explored the barriers facing young people in the creative industries, particularly Black or ethnically diverse young people, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The main barriers we found were; a lack of creativity in schools, a lack of diverse representation in the sector, a lack of good careers advice in schools and the cost of pursuing careers in some sectors, particularly in the creative industries - such as unpaid internships and uncertainty of freelance careers. This is now coupled with high youth unemployment rates and young people facing a lack of confidence and optimism about their future. Young people sometimes face an impossible battle of not being able to get the right experience coupled with businesses saying they don't have the right skills or experience for a role. During the pandemic, young people told us;
“Opportunities have vanished, relationships have been strained.”
“[I’m] kinda lost, kinda sick of everything, tired.”
2. What are the main challenges facing employers in the labour market today? What barriers do they face in recruiting young workers and setting up apprenticeships and traineeships?
- One of the main challenges is understanding the skills gap between formal education and industry and we need to ensure that entry level roles support continual progression, not just a step on the ladder. Delivering traineeships and apprenticeships effectively requires substantial holistic support, which is labour intensive. This needs to be reflected in the money offered to employers to support young people into work.
3. What future social, economic and technological changes are likely to impact youth unemployment? What impact might these changes have, and how should this be planned for and addressed?
- During the pandemic we saw young people from low-income households disproportionately impacted - from housing to the ‘digital divide’. This only exacerbated the problems for some young people. Looking to the future, we expect some of these problems to have a continued impact, coupled with mental health problems - all of which are determinants of employment. Some organisations are already saying they expect their staff team to work remotely in the future but if you live in a crowded household with a lack of technology, some young people will be at an immediate disadvantage to perform their role to the best of their ability, and this is something organisations need to be aware of when devising flexible working policies. However, the intersectional nature of social determinants should be addressed, as well as individual factors.
4. Is funding for education, training and skills enough to meet the needs of young people and of the labour market? How can we ensure it continues to reach those who need it most?
- We need designated funding within the youth sector to support young people that are not fulfilled by formal education, particularly with skills and training that will break down barriers to employment. In our Creating Futures report, of the nearly 200 alumni we spoke to, 85 per cent told us taking part in creative projects at the Roundhouse had improved their confidence and 70 per cent said their time at the Roundhouse had improved their transferable skills. 91 per cent attributed their time at the Roundhouse with helping them to go on to secure employment, education or training. We strongly believe we need to invest in new and existing spaces and creative projects where young people can independently and autonomously develop skills and training to help them in the labour market. Designated youth spaces also give young people the chance to feel connected, giving them a sense of belonging, and a greater awareness of opportunities in their local community.
Primary and secondary education
5. Does the national curriculum equip young people with the right knowledge and skills to find secure jobs and careers? What changes may be needed to ensure this is the case in future?
- There needs to be more space for creative subjects to be taken at GCSE. Progress 8 has created a restrictive curriculum which limits the opportunity for young people to explore their talents beyond STEM subjects. We need a broad and rich curriculum across all schools and offered to all students with specialist teachers in place to deliver it.
6. Is careers education preparing young people with the knowledge to explore the range of opportunities available? What role does work experience play in this regard?
- Young people beyond school age need access to careers advice and this also needs to happen outside of the formal education setting - for instance in local community settings. Young people had generally been positive about the Connexions service but there needs to be much closer working within local communities so young people can explore the opportunities on their doorstep. Work experience can also be beneficial for some young people but much wider careers support and education is needed in schools.
7. What lessons can be learned from alternative models of education and assessment? What are the challenges with, and obstacles to, the adoption of such models?
- Course work assessment better represents the ‘real’ world of work, which requires long and sustained effort, rather than exam-type scenarios which are not representative of the work environment.
Further education, higher education and training
9. What is the role of business and universities in creating a thriving jobs market for young people? How should they be involved in developing skills and training programmes at further and higher education level?
- We want to see increased collaboration between business and all formal education sectors to understand the skills and knowledge required within the industry, enabling greater coordination between training programmes to ensure that young people are fully prepared and equipped to thrive in the workplace. There is some interesting work taking place in Camden between the council, local young people and local businesses to support more equal access to opportunities for local young people, particularly when it comes to accessing social capital.
- Under proposals put forward earlier this year funding for universities could be cut by half for students of art and design, music, dance, drama and performing arts, media studies and archaeology during the 2021-22 academic year. We need to see continued investment in these subjects at university otherwise it will be young people from lower income families that will miss out when we should be encouraging broader diversity in our sector.
10. What can be done to ensure that enough apprenticeship and traineeship placements are available for young people? Is the apprenticeship levy the right way to achieve a continuing supply of opportunities?
- We need better funded and improved pay for apprentices and trainees, alongside a more consistent approach to traineeships across sectors. In the past the apprenticeship levy had at times been used incorrectly to upskill staff rather than bring on new apprentices, however, specific initiatives for young people might prevent this happening.
Jobs and employment
12. What economic sectors present opportunities for sustainable, quality jobs for young people? How can we ensure these opportunities are capitalised on and that skills meet demand, particularly for green jobs?
- In 2018, the creative industries contributed £111.7bn of value to the UK economy. They were experiencing faster growth than the rest of the UK economy and despite the difficulties of the last year they still provide exciting opportunities for the future. That is why we are continuing with our ambitious plans for a new state-of-the-art building on the Roundhouse site which will provide the space and facilities for a brand new programme of work focussing on employability skills and creative leadership, as well as rehearsal space for artists. Entrepreneurialism and creative skills will help rebuild not just the creative industries but a variety of sectors but young people need the space and networks to build more positive futures for themselves.
9th May 2021