- Date: 15/06/2020
Honeycomb Group along with over 200 organisations across the UK, has signed an open letter to the Prime Minister, calling on the Government to publicly commit to a new Opportunity Guarantee.
The Opportunity Guarantee, backed by some of the UK’s biggest employers, would help to kick start the UK’s economic recovery by investing in jobs of the future, helping people access the jobs market, and providing opportunities for young people.
It comes as the UK is experiencing the biggest economic crisis in 300 years, and figures are expected to show the highest rate of unemployment in over 100 years.
The open letter, signed by organisations from across sectors - including The Prince’s Trust, Heathrow Airport, Asda, universities and charities – calls on Government to invest in a new Opportunity Guarantee that:
- Promotes job creation by investing in the jobs that we need for the future
- Doubles the capacity of services that help people into jobs, with greatest support for those facing disadvantage
- Provides an education place, apprenticeship, or job for every young person
Diane Thompson, Chief Executive of Honeycomb Group, said: “Creating new jobs, opportunities and investing in new roles for the future is so important not only for the economy but also for the future of our country.
“As champions for happy homes, we will support any initiative that will give people in our region confidence, self-security and stability, such as the Opportunity Guarantee, which promote job creation, more advice and support services for job seekers and more opportunities for school leavers.
“We hope Boris Johnson and his government take our open letter seriously and they take action to invest in all our futures.”
Commenting on the open letter, House of Lords member, Lord Bob Kerslake said: “The message to Government is clear – with the Jobs retention Scheme winding up, we must invest in an Opportunities Guarantee. We need to create opportunities for people to skill up, and have a guaranteed role in our economic recovery, and we must put these plans in place now.”