Unemployment: Young People
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the availability and effectiveness of local youth hubs, employment support services and community-based provision for young people not in education, employment or training; and what steps he is taking to improve access to in-person support, skills development and pathways into employment.
Answered by Andrew Western
This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.
Over the next three years, we are investing £2.5 billion into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to support nearly one million 16–24-year-olds into work, education or training. This investment will also deliver up to 300,000 opportunities for workplace experience and training and unlock up to 200,000 jobs through the £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant, the £2,000 apprenticeship incentive and guaranteeing jobs for long-term unemployed young people on Universal Credit.
We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.
As part of the Youth Guarantee the government announced an expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 locations across Great Britain, ensuring that every young person, including those not receiving benefits, can access opportunities and comprehensive support in their local area. Youth Hubs work closely with local stakeholders and partners to tailor services to community needs, providing holistic support, including access to mental health services, housing advice, essential and vocational skills development, and employer engagement.
The DWP Youth Offer Process evaluation, published in October 2024, found that young people responded positively to Youth Hubs, being more likely to demonstrate progress towards employment. 67% of those surveyed reported feeling that the support provided by a Youth Hub helped meet their needs. Evaluation plans for the Youth Hub expansion are being developed.
Youth Guarantee also includes eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers delivered by Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) across England, who are testing innovative, locally tailored approaches to identify and support young people aged 18 to 21 who are, or are at risk of becoming, NEET. The Department has commissioned an evaluation of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to build evidence on how the program improves employment outcomes, reduces economic inactivity, increases participation in education and training, and supports systems integration. We expect full findings from the evaluation alongside a synthesis review of local evaluations to be available in the Winter of 2027/28.
Commitment and investment into the Youth Guarantee demonstrate the Government’s commitment to improving employment opportunities for young people, while supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.
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