Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to monitor the effectiveness of employment support programmes for young people.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave 16 September to PQ 75889, referencing DWP evaluations which demonstrate the effectiveness of support programmes for young people.

The department will continue to build on the existing evidence base as we test, learn and improve the support available to help young people to find, stay in, and progress in work.

Our current evaluation plans include a dedicated evaluation of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. Preparatory research is already underway to map activities, identify outcome pathways, and understand the supporting systems. As part of this research, we will also assess the feasibility of different methods to evaluate the impact of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers.

A process and theory-based evaluation will also be commissioned as part of a wider Get Britain Working Trailblazer evaluation, scheduled to begin in early 2026.