Employment: Young People

The government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy, supporting almost one million young people and creating up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn. Thanks to this funding, every young person on Universal Credit (UC) who is looking for work will benefit from the new expanded, tailored employment support from their first appointment in the Jobcentre. We are giving young people more time with work coaches and are bringing more local work and training opportunities into jobcentres by actively working with employers and training providers. Work coaches will be working with each eligible young person to identify which opportunity is right for them, including access to specialist Youth Employability Coaches to help address complex barriers to work.

If a young person is not earning or learning after 13 weeks, they will have a Youth Guarantee Gateway meeting followed by four weeks of intensive support. Young people will receive tailored guidance and be offered up to six options (which could be: work, work experience, Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP), apprenticeship, training or learning) from their first appointment in the Jobcentre, to help them progress into employment.

We are also expanding our 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. This includes mental health, housing, essential and vocational skills, and employer engagement at every Hub.