Hinckley, England – Rishi Sunak has announced that the Conservatives would bring in a national service scheme for all 18-year-olds if they win the upcoming general election. And this has prompted many discussions, with business owners left wondering what this could mean for their young employees.

Andrew Willis, Associate Director of Legal at Croner, says “This proposal raises lots of questions, all of which will need answering if the Conservative party wins the election.

“Initial information released by the Conservative party says that the scheme would require everyone who turns 18 to either complete a community training programme over 12-months or enrol in a year-long military training scheme.

“What is not clear is how this would work for the thousands of young people who have jobs or are completing apprenticeships. It’s not physically possible to be in two places at once, so would the national service requirement apply to anyone with a job or an apprenticeship?

“If it does, then areas of consideration would have to include whether the period of national service would mean a break in continuity of service in the young person’s job / apprenticeship, and whether employers would be compelled to allow the young person to come back to the exact same job once they have completed the required.

“With the community volunteering stream, what happens if there is a clash because their job requires weekend working? And would there be expectations and obligations placed on businesses and charities who have young people volunteering with them.

“One thing is clear – we need a lot more information about the practicalities of how such a scheme will work in practice. For now, we’ll just have to wait to see what happens at the General Election first.”