Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people into (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training in Surrey Heath constituency.

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.

Building on the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy announcement at Budget, the Government committed a further £1 billion for young people on 16^th March 2026, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

As part of this package, the Government is delivering eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expanding Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introducing 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-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.

In Surrey Heath, young people are already supported through Camberley Youth Hub, which provides high-quality, holistic support, including mental health, housing, essential and vocational skills, and employer engagement. Ensuring support for every young person, including those not claiming benefits, aged 16–24 has access to training, apprenticeships, or employment support.

The information requested on trends in levels of youth unemployment and economic inactivity is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp(opens in a new tab) and the guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp(opens in a new tab).