The first rung of the career ladder has been snapped off. Here is how I intend to repair it, writes Sir Sadiq Khan

My parents were watching as I walked across the stage – two first-generation immigrants, who had sacrificed so much to give me opportunities they never had. I felt the enormous sense of pride and responsibility that comes with being one of the first in your family to go to university.

At the time, I was still sleeping in a bunk bed, sharing a room with my brothers in Tooting where I grew up. But as I collected my certificate, I felt like I’d made it. I was excited for my professional life to begin, and with a world-class education behind me, I was confident that whatever came next, I was going to be ok from here. And that’s exactly how it turned out.

For generations, parents like mine have watched as their children have had opportunities and experiences they could never have imagined for themselves. There’s been an unspoken expectation that each generation will have it a little bit better than the last.

But for many people growing up today, that expectation no longer matches reality. Those leaving school, college or university face far less certainty about what awaits them on the other side. They’re not short of talent or ambition. But the roles they need to kickstart their careers and build their futures seem to be drying up. Consequently, that all-important first rung on the career ladder appears to have been snapped off.

Over a million young people across the UK are currently not in education, employment or training, including approximately one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds in London.

These are young people who should be starting their new lives, having new experiences and discovering their newfound independence. But instead, they’re trapped in their childhood bedrooms, unable to find work and therefore unable to afford to go out with friends, pursue new opportunities and make the most of living in our capital.

Their parents are left watching – not with the excitement my parents felt on my graduation day, but with anxiety, as each rejection causes their children’s confidence to crumble, and their dreams for the future to fade.

Of course, the causes of youth unemployment are complex. Alan Milburn’s recent report found that young people today are caught in a perfect storm of fewer entry-level opportunities, a rise in mental health challenges and a lack of employment support.

Meanwhile, rapid advances in AI are changing the world of work altogether. While the full extent of the impact of AI on entry-level jobs remains unclear, a picture is forming that points to challenges ahead. What is beyond doubt, however, is that AI is already changing the tasks people perform, the skills employers need and the way that companies are recruiting right now.

Our response then must be to do two things at once: both support young people to enter the workforce today and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.

That’s why I’m proud to announce a new £18 million investment to help thousands more young Londoners into work and training. This new funding will expand existing support for young people across our city – such as careers advice, training, mentoring and high-quality work experience – equipping young Londoners with the skills, confidence and experience they need to thrive in a changing jobs market.

This is about fixing and restoring that first rung of the career ladder. But that won’t be enough to support our young people if the ladder itself is moving. That’s why, alongside this new funding, we will be rolling out free AI training for Londoners – to help them stay competitive and get ahead with this transformative technology.

Rather than waiting for disruption to unfold and inflict damage, I’m determined that here in London, we get ahead of the curve and work proactively to shape the AI revolution for good – helping employers adopt AI responsibly, while creating new opportunities for workers, particularly our young people, who need – and deserve – a helping hand.

Today, our London AI and Jobs Taskforce, which I set up earlier this year, published its recommendations for how we can harness the enormous potential of AI, manage the risks, and make sure it works for the benefit of all Londoners. Over the coming months, I will be working to implement these recommendations in full.

We know that the world of work is changing. It no longer looks like the world I graduated into. But with this new Mayoral funding and us acting on the recommendations of the Taskforce, we are taking another important step towards a brighter future for our young people.

A future where every young Londoner is able to feel the same sense of hope and possibility I felt when I left university all those years ago. Where every parent is able to watch their child take their first steps towards independence with pride and excitement – not worry and fear. And where every generation of young people has the chance to follow their dreams, fulfil their potential and shape our world for the better.

That is the future young Londoners deserve, and the future we’ll continue to build together.

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Sadiq Khan is the Labour Mayor of London.

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