Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support collaboration between youth services, employers, skills providers and local authorities to help improve outcomes for young people at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training.

Youth Matters outlines an ambitious plan to support young people to learn and get into good jobs, and is backed by over £500 million of funding from DCMS for fun things to do outside of school, support when and where young people need it, more safe spaces and access to trusted adults. This investment in youth services will help young people develop soft skills such as peer connections, relationships, personal development and increase their confidence, and can help young people access the right opportunities for them.

We have committed to launch 50 Young Futures Hubs by the end of this Parliament, bringing mental health and wellbeing support, careers guidance and positive activities into one place to prevent young people from becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training). We have worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop this programme and link to Youth Hubs services where appropriate, and this complements the broader Youth Guarantee to give every young person the chance to earn or learn.

£10 million also will be invested to expand the access young people have to trusted adults and help young people build the confidence, skills and experience to be ready for work, delivered in partnership with the King’s Trust (subject to a business case), and our Enrichment Expansion Programme will support up to 400 schools to provide a youth-voice led, tailored enrichment offer supporting their development and essential life skills. We will also provide support for the training and employment of 1000 new youth workers to help reduce the risk of unemployment.