The kids aren’t alright
‘I love housing and want to stay in it…It’s an industry you fall into and fall in love with at the same time.’ The sentiments of 25-year-old Monique James-Palmer will be echoed by many in the sector, but Ms James-Palmer’s romance could prove short-lived.
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As we explore in this week’s education special, Ms James-Palmer is just one of hundreds of formerly unemployed young people who face having the rug pulled from under them and their fledgling housing careers with the abolition of the £1 billion Future Jobs Fund. Although the government is creating a smaller-scale £150 million apprenticeships programme in place of the FJF, this cannot hide the fact that this is a shocking case of chancellor George Osborne’s axe swinging too far and too deep.
Many social landlords will find permanent positions for people like Ms James-Palmer, but many will not and hundreds of young people will be back to square one. As Ms James-Palmer says: ‘The coalition government hasn’t got a clue what it is doing.’