A Huddersfield businessman has been chosen to help steer a national inquiry into youth enterprise and employment.

Graham Sykes, managing director of youth engagement agency Fourteen19, has been appointed onto a national commission set up to examine how young people can be encouraged to set up their own business.

The group is being chaired by Chloe Smith MP, a former Economic Secretary to the Treasury and Cabinet Office minister, and features senior representatives from a number of leading youth organisations including A4E, National Youth Agency and Centrepoint.

They will be visiting a number of projects around the UK, including a number that Graham is directly involved with including the Kirklees Youth Enterprise Centre which has helped more than 50 young people to set up and run their own business.

The commission, entitled: “Young People and Enterprise: A Risky Business?” was launched with a “call for evidence” at the Think Big Hub in Shoreditch, London, where members of the group met with young people to hear first hand their experience and views on starting their own business.

The commission is seeking insight and evidence from youth work and young people, businesses and employers from across public, voluntary, community organisations and enterprise.

This will include evidence sessions held in Parliament, a national survey, case studies and local project visits with young people and business. The Commission will report by the end of the year.

Graham Sykes said: “I’m really excited to be part of this commission as youth enterprise and employment is an area I am particularly passionate about.

“Current enterprise support provision for young people is very ad hoc and unstructured. I am hoping that through this commission we can identify the requirements of young people and lay the foundations for a national programme of support.”

The National Youth Agency is the national expert and development organisation in youth policy and youth work in England.

A4e is a leading public service provider involved in a large number of programmes which help young people who are unemployed to start their own businesses. Since 2011, A4e has launched more than 10,000 new businesses under the Work Programme and New Enterprise Allowance schemes.

Other members of the commission include Lib Dem peer Lord Storey, Sally Orlopp, A4e director for enterprise; and Seyi Obakin, Centrepoint chief executive.

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