Thousands more young people to get training and work support as Government extends £45m scheme

• Youth Guarantee trailblazer scheme extended for another year in major step towards ensuring all 18-21-year-olds get the chance to earn or learn
• Comes as new figures today show 948,000 young people are not in education, employment or training across the UK
• Additional £45m investment comes as part of the mission to drive up opportunity and growth across the country under the Plan for Change.

Thousands more young people will receive tailored support to help them into a fulfilling career thanks to a £45 million extension to the Youth Guarantee trailblazer scheme.

The eight trailblazers across England, launched this Spring, are testing innovative ways to identify young people most at risk of falling out of education, employment or training and matching them up to local training or job opportunities.

These local schemes will pave the way ahead of the national roll-out of the Youth Guarantee to ensure all 18-21-year-olds get the chance to earn or learn.

Today's ONS figures show 948,000 young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET) across the UK, a national crisis born of a perfect storm of disrupted learning during the pandemic, underinvestment in mental health and a lack of job and skills support.

The proportion of young people who are NEET and who are affected by long-term or temporary sickness has also risen in recent years, with over one in four citing sickness as a barrier to participation in 2023, compared to one in 10 in 2012.

Among other things, those who are NEET are:

• 80% more likely to have special educational needs and disabilities;
• Nearly twice as likely to have a health condition;
• Twice as likely to have no qualifications;
• More than twice as likely to be from a disadvantaged background;
• More likely to have lower pay, higher unemployment and reduced life chances, along with greater mental health problems later in life.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall said:

“This Government will not stand by while so many young people are not in education or training - robbing them of their potential and our country of its future.

“The extra £45 million in funding I have announced today will help us ensure that no young person will be left behind as we unlock economic growth and secure prosperity for all under our Plan for Change.”

Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson said:

“The number of young people who are currently not in education, employment or training is unacceptably high, which is why we're determined to spread opportunity into all corners of the country, through our Youth Guarantee, as part of our Plan for Change.

“The Youth Guarantee is just one of the steps we're taking to get young people into skilled work and training, with reforms to the apprenticeship system to direct more funding to young people, cutting red tape to make it easier to start or complete an apprenticeship, and introducing foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors.”

To mark the announcement, the Work and Pensions Secretary visited Euston Skills Centre to hear from young people who are already benefiting from the support on offer through the Youth Guarantee trailblazer programme.

The Mayor of London scheme. delivered with the Central London Forward Sub-Regional Partnership of boroughs, is specifically supporting young people with experience of being in care, who are three times more likely to be out of education, employment or training.

The Secretary of State heard how these inspiring young people are now on internships and work placements after receiving lifechanging wraparound support through a dedicated personal adviser. In this role, the trained professional signposts local training and work opportunities, provides a phone or a laptop if needed, helps with CV development and interview preparation and offers pastoral support. 

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of Business and Growth said:

“I'm delighted the Government has extended the funding for these trailblazers so we can continue building on the strong early progress we've made in helping more young Londoners into work and ensuring they have the opportunities to succeed.

“The Mayor and I are committed to getting more Londoners into good jobs, and these trailblazers will support wider efforts through our London Growth Plan to boost our skilled workforce so we can unleash our city's full potential.

“We will continue working closely with Government and cross-sector partners to help the next generation gain the skills they need to start new careers and thrive in futureproof jobs – ultimately building a better, fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.”

Mustafa Ali, a participant in the scheme, said:

“The Full Potential scheme is a great opportunity for care leavers to gain the support they need. Through the internship I've accessed, I now have full-time work experience and have developed new skills, built confidence, and I'm able to unlock my long-term career potential.

“I'm truly grateful for this opportunity, especially as someone who doesn't yet have the right qualifications or previous experience working in professional sectors.”

The new investment comes alongside the recent announcements of £88 million for Youth Services and £100 million to train up 40,000 young construction workers as the Government continues to break down barriers to opportunity under the Plan for Change.

It also marks the latest Government step to deliver on its plan to Get Britain Working and drive-up living standards through overhauling jobcentres, raising the National Living Wage and creating more secure jobs through the Employment Rights Bill.

Note to editors

• The latest ONS young people not in education, employment or training statistics were published on Thursday 21 August at 9.30 here: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK - Office for National Statistics
• The eight youth trailblazers are in: Liverpool, West Midlands, Tees Valley, East Midlands, West of England, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and two in London.
• While the eight trailblazers are being delivered across England, we will use the learning from the Youth Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of support for young people across Great Britain.
• We will work closely with Devolved Governments as we develop this offer, to share learning and ensure effective integration of reserved and devolved provision.  
• The Greater London Authority is just one of eight mayoral strategic authorities already delivering on these plans designed to meet the specific needs of their communities, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, in more rural areas of the West of England, participants will receive free bus travel, removing a key barrier to accessing training, job interviews and other opportunities.
• Elsewhere, in Tees Valley, 18-21-year-olds are being urged to sign up to paid work placements or non-paid work taster sessions to explore career options.