UUP conference: Better opportunities for young people are key to a stronger Northern Ireland - Mercer
A stronger Northern Ireland cannot be built we cannot if an entire generation feels disconnected from its future, the UUP conference has heard.
Chris Mercer, a 29 year old party representative from the Knockagh area of Mid and East Antrim is a youth and community worker, who said the opportunities he has had are “the dividends of peace”.
However, he said in his work he had heard from teenagers who genuinely don’t believe Northern Ireland was built with them in mind.
“Not because they lack talent. Not because they lack ambition. But because they’ve never seen this place fight for their future.
“And Conference, we cannot build a stronger Northern Ireland if an entire generation feels disconnected from its future”, he said.
Mr Mercer said the first step “is giving young people a reason to stay” in the province.
He outlined a number of UUP policies aimed at young people. These included:
- The First Home Deposit Bond, which he said redirects the first £7,500 of National Insurance contributions into a personal, ring-fenced bond for a young person’s first home. This would be “practical, deliverable and exactly the kind of policy that provides the first financial step into adulthood”.
- Scrapping the “artificial” cap on local university places, which he said “restricts ambition, pushes students away and drains talent from our economy”
- expand university capacity in fields like medicine, engineering, digital technology and the creative industries
- “recognition, financial support and clear pathways into training and employment” for young carers
The UUP man said a “fair deal for young people must protect them from the pressures of today and prepare them for the opportunities of tomorrow”.