Findings from Young Lives, Young Futures, a major research study investigating education, training and employment opportunities in England for young people who don’t go to university, were presented to an audience of policy makers and other key stakeholders at the House of Lords on Wednesday 12th November. This six-year study — in which more than 10,000 young people have participated — highlights the urgent need for a coordinated strategy across government and society to ensure more equitable education-to-work transitions for young people taking non-graduate routes. This group represents 50% of young people and 50% of the country’s future, yet too many of them continue to be failed in a number of areas, and especially by an education and careers advice system that values university over practical and creative learning and non-university routes into work.
The study is being conducted by researchers at Edge Foundation and King’s College London and in partnership with young people, government advisers, unions, employer organisations, schools, colleges and youth charities. The research team also worked with a group of young people from the Black Country, alongside charities Genesis Sun and Journey to Justice, to develop a creative response to their findings. The result was a film and a song written by the young people who went on to form a band, Young Lives United. The film and song, both called ‘We Need Change’, were premiered at the House of Lords event alongside presentations on the research findings by members of the research team.
A recorded version of the song and a video were released on the same day. Young Lives United said, “This project has united a community of like-minded people who share goals, passions and dreams. We have all truly been inspired to pull together to drive meaningful change.” They wrote the song to send a strong message to decision-makers in Parliament and the wider education and training system that young people’s voices need to be heard more and that drastic changes are needed to schools, careers services and employment support particularly for those wanting to pursue creative careers and for those who don’t want to go to university.
Olly Newton, Executive Director at Edge Foundation, said, “The Government’s recent response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review has created a glimmer of hope – that vocational subjects and the knowledge and skills required for life and work should finally be properly valued. This cannot come soon enough. Professor Sharon Gewirtz, Project Lead, King’s College London said, “Perhaps the single most important message coming out of this research is the value of working in partnership with young people. Doing so highlights how metric-based accountability systems often get in the way of what matters in education. This includes respecting young people’s perspectives on their individual and collective needs, interests and aspirations, and how these might best be served."
