Young people across the country are starting a new chapter of their lives, with a record number of students in Britain heading to university following A-Level results day last week, and GCSE results day this week sending secondary school students on to their next venture.

To every student in our area opening an envelope this week, and to those who did so last week: congratulations. Whatever the results say, you have worked hard, and you should be proud of what you have achieved.

But I want to appeal directly to our young people about the road ahead – one with which those just a few years ahead of them will be all too familiar.

Too many young people leaving school or college are now finding it harder than it should be to get on.

Labour's tax rises and red tape mean there simply aren't enough good jobs and apprenticeships to go around, and for those heading to university, the promise of a better future is too often followed by decades of crippling debt. School leavers are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and that isn't good enough.

That’s why my party has set out a fully-funded New Deal for Young People to change that.

We would create 100,000 more apprenticeships for 18 to 21-year-olds, backed by up to £5,000 for every employer taking on a British apprentice. We would introduce a £5,000 First Job Bonus, letting young people keep the first £5,000 of National Insurance they would otherwise have paid, banked towards a first home or their future security.

We would pay for this by ending funding for university degrees that trap young people in debt without improving their job prospects or earnings – not by adding to a welfare bill already forecast to hit £170 billion by the end of this Parliament. Alongside our plan to scrap stamp duty on primary residences, this is about giving young people a genuine route onto the property ladder and into a career that works for them.

For those who are now young adults, we would scrap real interest on Plan 2 student loans, so balances can no longer rise faster than inflation, saving graduates tens of thousands of pounds over their working lives. Action is desperately needed on student loan repayments. It's why I recently joined a cross-party letter to the Chancellor calling for an urgent review of the student loan system. Too many graduates are facing a system that leaves them paying more for longer, making it harder to get on with the next stage of their lives.

There is so much more to be done, but I do want to recognise this week's success and hope everyone can celebrate. None of this happens without our local schools, so thank you to the teachers and support staff across our area, and to the parents who have supported young people every step of the way.

Whatever comes next, I wish every young person in our area every success in the chapter ahead.