Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 5th August

One thing that I am hugely passionate about is providing young people with opportunities and life chances. When I was at school I saw first-hand how young people can fall through the net and waste the talent that they have.

Since 2010 the Government has created more jobs than the whole of the European Union put together. We have also created 2 million more apprenticeships since 2010, with the aim to reach 3 million by 2020. This demonstrates that we are providing the chances for young people to work hard (without necessarily having to go to University) and build their skills.

I have recently seen some great local examples of providing opportunities. Last week I was delighted to hand out certificates to local youngsters (many of whom had experienced adverse circumstances) who had completed a 12 week course run by Swindon’s Inner Flame and the Prince's Trust. The course enabled the students to meet new people, gain valuable work experience, learn how to build a CV and engage in community projects. It was very inspiring to see the real transformation that every young person had undertaken and they all left with the confidence to build themselves a bright future.

I also dropped into the National Citizens Service which was being run from MECA in town. This was my 5^th year of supporting NCS and I joined the youngsters as they were creating their social enterprise projects. NCS is quickly becoming a rite of passage for teenagers across the country. It provides a programme for 16 & 17 year olds to give them a chance to develop the skills needed to be active and responsible citizens, mix with people from different backgrounds and start getting involved in their communities.

Finally, I met Zoe & Daniel a few days ago as I opened the latest section of the Old Railway Quarter development next to the Designer Outlet centre. The young couple have bought one of the flats in the new build through the Governments Help to Buy Scheme. The scheme provides a package of measures to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages so first-time buyers don’t need a load of cash before they get a chance to own their home. It has meant that since 2010, the number of first-time buyers, many of them young people, has increased by 60%.

So with more young people getting a chance to own their home, a chance to build skills and extra-curricular opportunities, a chance to start an apprenticeship and a chance to get into work and bring home a pay packet – this Government is delivering on its life chances agenda. If we didn’t create these opportunities, we would be doing them a real disservice.