Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what assessment he has made of how many of the 200,000 jobs expected to result from the youth employment drive announced on 16 March 2026 will be created as a direct result of Government intervention.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
That is why this Government is investing in young people’s futures. On 16 March we announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support this Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. It does not place additional requirements on employers’ wider workforce decisions, which remain governed by existing employment law.
We followed standard process in assessing equalities impacts, including on the basis of age, to inform Ministerial decisions on the policy. There remains a range of wider employment programmes in place to support adults of all ages into work.
The Youth Jobs Grant is also designed to support employers in hiring eligible young people who have been out of work for six months. The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional. Its purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone.
It is available to any registered employer across Great Britain who hires an eligible young person. To receive the Grant, the employer must take on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Grant will be paid in staged instalments after the employment relationship has started, which will encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period.
We expect several thousand employers across Great Britain to make use of the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years. The scheme is designed to support up to 60,000 opportunities for young people and we expect take-up will vary by sector and region depending on employers’ hiring needs. The Grant is open to organisations of all sizes.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Youth Jobs Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching in June 2026.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people from August, and introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs which take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The incentive will apply to apprenticeship starts from October 2026, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026.
Investment into Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. We will continue to monitor the impact of these measures and will report the outcomes to Parliament as necessary.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the regional distribution of the jobs and apprenticeships expected to be created under the youth employment drive.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
That is why this Government is investing in young people’s futures. On 16 March we announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support this Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. It does not place additional requirements on employers’ wider workforce decisions, which remain governed by existing employment law.
We followed standard process in assessing equalities impacts, including on the basis of age, to inform Ministerial decisions on the policy. There remains a range of wider employment programmes in place to support adults of all ages into work.
The Youth Jobs Grant is also designed to support employers in hiring eligible young people who have been out of work for six months. The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional. Its purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone.
It is available to any registered employer across Great Britain who hires an eligible young person. To receive the Grant, the employer must take on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Grant will be paid in staged instalments after the employment relationship has started, which will encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period.
We expect several thousand employers across Great Britain to make use of the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years. The scheme is designed to support up to 60,000 opportunities for young people and we expect take-up will vary by sector and region depending on employers’ hiring needs. The Grant is open to organisations of all sizes.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Youth Jobs Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching in June 2026.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people from August, and introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs which take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The incentive will apply to apprenticeship starts from October 2026, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026.
Investment into Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. We will continue to monitor the impact of these measures and will report the outcomes to Parliament as necessary.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, whether he plans to publish regular updates on the number of jobs and apprenticeships created through the programme.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
That is why this Government is investing in young people’s futures. On 16 March we announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support this Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. It does not place additional requirements on employers’ wider workforce decisions, which remain governed by existing employment law.
We followed standard process in assessing equalities impacts, including on the basis of age, to inform Ministerial decisions on the policy. There remains a range of wider employment programmes in place to support adults of all ages into work.
The Youth Jobs Grant is also designed to support employers in hiring eligible young people who have been out of work for six months. The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional. Its purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone.
It is available to any registered employer across Great Britain who hires an eligible young person. To receive the Grant, the employer must take on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Grant will be paid in staged instalments after the employment relationship has started, which will encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period.
We expect several thousand employers across Great Britain to make use of the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years. The scheme is designed to support up to 60,000 opportunities for young people and we expect take-up will vary by sector and region depending on employers’ hiring needs. The Grant is open to organisations of all sizes.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Youth Jobs Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching in June 2026.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people from August, and introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs which take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The incentive will apply to apprenticeship starts from October 2026, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026.
Investment into Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. We will continue to monitor the impact of these measures and will report the outcomes to Parliament as necessary.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what metrics his Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of these youth employment policies.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
That is why this Government is investing in young people’s futures. On 16 March we announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support this Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. It does not place additional requirements on employers’ wider workforce decisions, which remain governed by existing employment law.
We followed standard process in assessing equalities impacts, including on the basis of age, to inform Ministerial decisions on the policy. There remains a range of wider employment programmes in place to support adults of all ages into work.
The Youth Jobs Grant is also designed to support employers in hiring eligible young people who have been out of work for six months. The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional. Its purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone.
It is available to any registered employer across Great Britain who hires an eligible young person. To receive the Grant, the employer must take on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Grant will be paid in staged instalments after the employment relationship has started, which will encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period.
We expect several thousand employers across Great Britain to make use of the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years. The scheme is designed to support up to 60,000 opportunities for young people and we expect take-up will vary by sector and region depending on employers’ hiring needs. The Grant is open to organisations of all sizes.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Youth Jobs Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching in June 2026.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people from August, and introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs which take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The incentive will apply to apprenticeship starts from October 2026, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026.
Investment into Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. We will continue to monitor the impact of these measures and will report the outcomes to Parliament as necessary.
Asked by: Viscount Stansgate (Labour - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the mathematical sciences to the eight priority sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Assessment of priority skills to 2030 report shows the proportion of employed learners that enter priority occupations across the ten priority sectors (eight industrial strategy sectors, adult social care, and construction). This assessment shows that 57% of learners with a degree (level 6) in mathematical sciences enter these priority occupations.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance has his department given to local authorities on making payments to households with Fuel Oil costs through the Crisis Resilience Fund.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Support for vulnerable households affected by rising oil-heating costs will be treated as Crisis Payments under the Crisis and Resilience Fund. In line with scheme guidance published on 13 January 2026, local authorities have flexibility to determine eligibility for these payments. Local authorities have been reminded of this through departmental communications and supplementary materials have been issued to local authorities to provide further support. The Department is also engaging directly with local authorities receiving the additional oil-heating funding through a dedicated call to clarify delivery expectations, reporting requirements, and approaches to providing assistance and we will review future engagement in line with local authority capacity and needs.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of pet-related work absences, including those linked to veterinary care and emergencies.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government does not collect or hold information on the reasons for absence relating to the care of pets, including those linked to veterinary care and emergencies.
Employers are responsible for managing wider categories of employee absence, including any time taken for caring responsibilities relating to pets, in line with their own workplace policies.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 3 March (HL14602), what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the funding for English for speakers of other language programmes to meet demand.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the previous written answer, the Adult Skills Fund is the primary funding stream that supports ESOL for those aged 19+. Currently, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities (SAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). Therefore in these areas, it is for the authority to make an assessment of whether ESOL funding is adequate to meet need, though government recognises that this has to be weighed against other priorities.
Government announced in its Social Cohesion Action Plan the intent to Review English language provision to identify best practice, and explore how innovation, including digital delivery, can increase the numbers able to speak English, with conclusions published in Autumn 2026.
As well as public funding for ESOL, individuals can pay for English language provision.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, how the £1 billion funding allocated to the youth employment drive will be distributed between (a) the Youth Jobs Grant, (b) the Jobs Guarantee expansion and (c) apprenticeship incentives.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
That is why this Government is investing in young people’s futures. On 16 March we announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support this Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. It does not place additional requirements on employers’ wider workforce decisions, which remain governed by existing employment law.
We followed standard process in assessing equalities impacts, including on the basis of age, to inform Ministerial decisions on the policy. There remains a range of wider employment programmes in place to support adults of all ages into work.
The Youth Jobs Grant is also designed to support employers in hiring eligible young people who have been out of work for six months. The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional. Its purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone.
It is available to any registered employer across Great Britain who hires an eligible young person. To receive the Grant, the employer must take on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Grant will be paid in staged instalments after the employment relationship has started, which will encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period.
We expect several thousand employers across Great Britain to make use of the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years. The scheme is designed to support up to 60,000 opportunities for young people and we expect take-up will vary by sector and region depending on employers’ hiring needs. The Grant is open to organisations of all sizes.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Youth Jobs Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching in June 2026.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people from August, and introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs which take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The incentive will apply to apprenticeship starts from October 2026, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026.
Investment into Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. We will continue to monitor the impact of these measures and will report the outcomes to Parliament as necessary.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the average cost of each job created through the youth employment drive.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
That is why this Government is investing in young people’s futures. On 16 March we announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support this Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. It does not place additional requirements on employers’ wider workforce decisions, which remain governed by existing employment law.
We followed standard process in assessing equalities impacts, including on the basis of age, to inform Ministerial decisions on the policy. There remains a range of wider employment programmes in place to support adults of all ages into work.
The Youth Jobs Grant is also designed to support employers in hiring eligible young people who have been out of work for six months. The scheme will not require employers to demonstrate that roles are additional. Its purpose is to reduce the barriers young people face when entering the labour market by helping employers with the early costs of recruitment and training, rather than placing conditions on wider staffing decisions and how long an employer must retain someone.
It is available to any registered employer across Great Britain who hires an eligible young person. To receive the Grant, the employer must take on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Grant will be paid in staged instalments after the employment relationship has started, which will encourage sustained employment during the early months without requiring a formal retention period.
We expect several thousand employers across Great Britain to make use of the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years. The scheme is designed to support up to 60,000 opportunities for young people and we expect take-up will vary by sector and region depending on employers’ hiring needs. The Grant is open to organisations of all sizes.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Youth Jobs Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching in June 2026.
To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people from August, and introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs which take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The incentive will apply to apprenticeship starts from October 2026, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months i.e. from July 2026.
Investment into Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people. We will continue to monitor the impact of these measures and will report the outcomes to Parliament as necessary.