Economic downturns can affect anyone’s job prospects, but history shows that young people are the worst hit. This is especially true for those who have the misfortune to leave education during a crisis – their pay levels and career prospects can remain scarred many years after the storm has passed. What are the challenges facing the corona class of 2020, who will be leaving school, college or university in the midst of an unprecedented economic storm? And what can the Government do – in conjunction with education providers and firms – to limit the career damage that young people could be facing in the coming months and years? The Resolution Foundation hosted a webinar to discuss these critical questions that young people and policy makers are facing right now. Following a presentation of new RF research, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, highlighting the scale of the labour market challenges facing education leavers today, a panel of leading experts discussed how best to support them in both the immediate and medium-term so that their careers are not permanently scarred by the corona crisis.
