Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 95517 on Access to Work Programme, what data his Department has used to determine that there should be a focus on ensuring consistency in decision-making; and if he will publish that data.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department routinely focuses on strengthening case manager learning, ensuring colleagues have the skills and expertise required to apply Access to Work policy and guidance fairly and consistently. This approach has been driven by our commitment to continuous improvement rather than by specific data sources.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available through his Department and Jobcentre Plus to help single parents with childcare responsibilities find suitable part-time employment.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in our Child Poverty Strategy, this Government is committed to boosting family incomes, supporting single parents and reducing the earnings gap within couple households by transforming employment support and removing barriers to work. The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours, which is why we offer financial assistance and 30 hours of free childcare a week through the Free Childcare for Working Parents scheme. Following the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy, we are continuing to engage across the voluntary and community sector to understand and address issues facing parents and carers, including single parents.
In Universal Credit, working families can claim up to 85% of eligible childcare costs each month, up to a maximum of £1071.09 a month for a single child and £1836.16 a month for families with two or more children at the 2026/2027 rates. At the Budget, we announced that in 2026-27 we will help parents in work who have larger families by providing UC childcare support for each additional child beyond the first. Lead carers within Universal Credit also have different conditionality requirements that reflect their childcare responsibilities.
We are also supporting parents to balance work and childcare through the Make Work Pay legislation, which strengthens rights to request flexible working arrangements. We are rolling out free breakfast clubs in schools across the country, helping parents manage work schedules whilst ensuring children have a positive start to the day. Parents and carers can also benefit from our wider employment support initiatives including Inactivity Trailblazers in England and Wales, Skills Bootcamps, the Sector-based Work Academy Programme, the Adult Skills Fund, and personalised help for sick and disabled people through Pathways to Work. Further to this, DWP currently deploys around 300 Family Community Work Coaches in England to support the most vulnerable families in society with multiple, complex needs to make significant, positive changes in their lives that move them towards employment.
As we design and develop the new Jobs and Careers Service, we will ensure support is more personalised to meet individuals’ needs and help them overcome their specific barriers to work. We are also testing bringing services and support into the heart of communities, for example through partnership delivery in Family Hubs, Jobcentre vans and community pop-ups.
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 steps his Department plans to take to help ensure that jobs created through the Youth Jobs Grant are additional to existing positions.
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 employers will be required to retain employees hired through the Youth Jobs Grant for a minimum period.
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 eligibility criteria employers must meet to receive the £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for hiring young people aged 18–24.
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, how many employers his Department expects to claim the Youth Jobs Grant over the next three years.
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: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the lack of publicly-funded provision for lip-reading classes for people with hearing loss.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 March 2026 to Question UIN 118960.
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 assessment his Department has made of the risk that employers may replace older workers with subsidised employees aged 18–24 under the Youth Jobs Grant scheme.
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.