It’s all change at Labour’s party conference in Liverpool. The mood is positive and, in an incredibly rare turn of events for contemporary British politics, proceedings kicked off with three major announcements aimed not at older people, big business or floating voters, but at younger generations.

The first was Labour’s new flagship “Your First Home” scheme, which will offer government loans to first-time buyers on “regular incomes”. The second was the expansion of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme to young people with disabilities. And the third, front and centre in Chancellor John Healey’s speech, was a new £100m “local apprenticeships service”, which will be run by mayors.

To borrow a phrase from Healey, all of these announcements are intended to be a “down payment” on young people’s lives. On their futures.

The vibe could not have shifted more; all has changed and, yet, for this Government and the young people it seeks to help, some fundamental economics remain the same.

Youth employment has become one of the hottest topics in Britain. With nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds currently not in education, work or training – known as Neets – Labour is rallying around the “moral cause” of helping them, as Healey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, and the Government’s youth employment chief........

© iNews