Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to support young people not in education, employment, or training in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and b) Staffordshire since 20 July 2026.

With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 through 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. This includes the expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 locations across Great Britain, the introduction of the Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, and increased opportunities for workplace experience, training and employment support.

Youth Hubs are a core component of the Youth Guarantee, providing access to employment, training and apprenticeship support for all young people aged 16 to 24, including those not receiving benefits. The expanded network will deliver holistic support, including employer engagement, skills provision, housing and mental health support.

As part of the Youth Hubs expansion, Newcastle-under-Lyme, East Staffordshire and South Staffordshire are scheduled to receive Youth Hubs in Year 2 (2027/28) of delivery, while Staffordshire Moorlands is scheduled for Year 3 (2028/29).

The Government is also supporting employers to recruit young people through the £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant, available to employers hiring eligible 18 to 24-year-olds who have been claiming Universal Credit and looking for work for six months or more, and through the Jobs Guarantee scheme, which will provide eligible young people with a fully subsidised six-month paid job.

We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.