Towards universal opportunity for young people

Britain is not a socially mobile country. In recent years, there has been a severing of a social contract which assumes: 

a) each generation should be better off than the last, and 

b) effort and merit should be rewarded equally, regardless of background.

Young people growing up today are paying a high price for this failure. These beliefs, once at least partially assumed by their parents and grandparents, are straining under the weight of persistent and compounding inequalities of class, geography, ethnicity and disability which make it harder for many young people to set out a path for themselves. They are also facing a unique set of challenges caused by spending their formative years in lockdowns and cost-of-living crises. They are now inheriting a tricky labour market and a society in flux. 

This report aims to support government delivery to respond to these challenges by developing: 

1. a series of principles for renewing and reclaiming ideas about social mobility and opportunity to meet the challenges of the day
2. three examples of how these principles could be applied to key areas of a young person’s life during the transition from education to employment – non-formal education, work, and skills.

The recommendations in this report offer a vision for young people which could increase social mobility while also reducing inequality and disadvantage so that every young person has the opportunity to build a decent life.