James’ age 28 from Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire, turned his life of overcoming his difficulties into a new direction in life on supporting others. After almost two years of floundering in a rough labor market, James was able to get on his way. He eventually got the autism diagnosis and soon started a new job with the St Giles Trust in London. Now back in the north, he’s been working with the Warren Youth Project in Hull. There, he empowers at-risk youth from all backgrounds to overcome adversity.
After finishing his first degree through university remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, James was left feeling “lost and aimless.” Yet the shift from academia to workforce came with its challenges, as he wasn’t able to find work for months on end. As an adult on the autism spectrum, he wouldn’t be diagnosed until 2022. Retrospectively, that moment allowed him to grasp what he had been struggling with all along. This discovery explained so much about his past difficulties and better equipped him to ask for help.
After his diagnosis, James moved to London and found work in employment support through the St Giles Trust. That experience provided him with indispensable perspective. He has a newfound appreciation for the struggles that young people go through when they are not connected to education or the workforce. Earlier this year, James retraced his steps back to his old stomping grounds in North Lincolnshire. He became a member of the Warren Youth Project, where he now regularly works to support young people finding their way into work.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently pledged to eradicate long-term youth unemployment by ensuring that those who have been out of work or education for 18 months are guaranteed a paid work placement. This effort takes wing at an extraordinary time. This is further underlined by statistics that indicate some 948,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK neither are in education, training, or employed. As someone who frequents the area, the urgency of fixing this issue struck a chord with James’s heart.
James underscores the point that navigating “various hurdles” is key to dealing with youth unemployment. Even with clarity and enterprise-wide support, he agrees success will depend on sustained financial investment in the effort from the government. Stable, dedicated funding will have to be part of it,” he said, acknowledging that lasting fix will take time and money.
A government spokesperson was clear on the need to address the challenges young people have been facing. They are being “locked out of the system,” and are too often being “written off.” We see the St Giles Trust employing James, as part of a movement to shift the narrative around youth employment. Through initiatives with entities such as the Warren Youth Project, he helps equip youth with the vital skills needed to seek desirable employment.
By sharing his story, James hopes to inspire young people to push past challenges and take control of their destinies. His journey from feeling lost to becoming a beacon of hope for others illustrates the potential impact of understanding and addressing individual challenges in the fight against youth unemployment.
