The Netherlands has cracked it. Youth unemployment sits at 9.5 per cent.
Britain's is 13.2 per cent and climbing. The Dutch solution?
It is not more government spending. It is letting the market breathe. Their model hinges on vocational training tied directly to private sector demand.
Apprenticeships are not afterthoughts. They are woven into the fabric of the education system. Employers co-design curricula.
Students spend 60 per cent of their time in the workplace. The result is a generation that is employable, not just educated. British policymakers obsess over university degrees.
They pump billions into tuition fees and write off the debt. Dutch firms pay for training because they see the return. Capital flows where it is treated best.
In the Netherlands, the state steps back. It ensures quality control but does not micromanage. The lesson is clear: fiscal discipline and trust in markets create jobs.
Handouts create dependency. Britain's youth are being shortchanged by a system that rewards academic theory over practical grit. The Dutch have shown the path.
It starts with cutting red tape and letting businesses lead. The Treasury should take note: the 9.5 per cent figure is not a fluke.
It is the reward for letting the invisible hand do its work.
