Jerry Blackett: Offering hope isn’t so hard

Feb 26 2010 By Jerry Blackett

I wasn’t ready for a question when I visited Fairbridge, a charity specialising in giving young people from the most disadvantaged areas in Birmingham confidence, skills and motivation to change their lives.

In response to a question about Kraft’s takeover of Cadbury, I had said that foreign ownership does not need to be bad. There’s Chiltern Trains’ (owned by the German group Deutsche Bann) £250 million investment in the Moor Street-Marylebone service, which will take 20 minutes off the journey time, reducing it to 1hr 20 mins.

My confident reply was disarmed when one young person shot back: “What does 20 minutes do, compared to the houses that £250 million could buy?”

This was a perfectly rational question given the problems faced by young people at Fairbridge. My answer that 20 minutes would create more jobs and wealth for Birmingham didn’t deal with the point. These young people want homes of their own and jobs. Today.

Fairbridge helps create experiential learning and maximises the chances for individuals to rebuild confidence and employability.

I can’t get some of the people at Fairbridge out of my mind. Most would not have a track-record of educational achievement enabling them make long or short lists for jobs.

With backgrounds like mental health issues, criminal records and drugs, too many employers have stereotypical responses. Employers think the worst. The reality is very different. When these young people get the chance they almost always out-perform. When I asked what local employers could do to help, I was told “give us a chance with a job”. “At least reply to our applications, even if it is to say no”.

It is important for employers to offer hope. Business Voice West Midlands’ regional campaign to encourage youth employment, under the banner of “Backing Young Britain” was launched by the regional minister, Ian Austin.

This campaign gathers all the information employers need to bring hope to the young unemployed, whether graduates or those benefitting from the amazing work of organisations like Fairbridge; I’d urge you to take part by logging on to www.hmg.go.uk/backingyoungbritain.

We need to show how it can’t be a choice between 20 minutes off the London journey time and jobs and houses for our young people. We must do both.

* Jerry Blackett is chief executive of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce