Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to respond to the report of the APPG on Youth Affairs entitled Empowering Youth for the Future of Work, published July 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is aware of the APPG on Youth Affairs Report, Empowering Youth for the Future of Work. Much of the report covers important matters that match our aims and policies, such as ensuring education and training meet future skills needs, giving young people the opportunities to thrive, the value of work experience and careers advice, and the importance of apprenticeships.
The government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system that is employer-focused, high-quality and fit for the future. Departmental reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives, and to improve national productivity and economic growth. The reforms are backed with an additional investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen higher and further education.
The department has invested over £7 billion during the 2022/23 academic year, to ensure there was a place in education or training for every 16- to 18-year-old who wanted one.
The 2021 Spending Review made available an extra £1.6 billion in 2024/25 for 16-19 education compared with the 2021/22 financial year, which is the biggest increase in a decade.
In January 2023 the department announced a further £125 million funding available in 2023/24. In July further announcements were made of investments of £185 million in 2023/24 and £285 million in 2024/25 to help 16-19 providers address key priorities.
The department is investing over £90 million in the financial year 2023/24 to help young people and adults to get high-quality careers provision. The department is supporting schools and colleges, through the Careers & Enterprise Company, to make sustained progress in developing their careers programmes, in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, which set out what good careers advice looks like. The department has strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have access to independent careers guidance and at least six encounters with providers of technical education or apprenticeships. Currently about two thirds (65%) of year 13 students have experiences of the workplace.
The department wants to support more young people to start and achieve apprenticeships that offer good earnings potential and career progression and funding for apprenticeships will be £2.7 billion by 2024/25. The department is also paying employers and providers £1,000 when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 and covering 100 per cent of the training cost for smaller employers when they take on these younger apprentices.
T Levels will also equip more young people with the skills, knowledge and experience to access skilled employment or further study. They represent a real shift in the quality of technical education and the department has invested significantly to support providers in their implementation. From September 2023 18 T Levels will be available, being delivered through nearly 300 providers across all regions of the country.
In 2021/2022 the department engaged closely with the Education Select Committee on Youth Unemployment which covered similar matters to the APPG report, providing evidence and a government response, which can be found at https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/506/youth-unemployment-committee/publications/.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to encourage businesses to employ (a) unemployed and (b) retired people aged over 60.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Default Retirement Age was abolished in 2011, most people can work for as long as they choose to, and the Government is committed to ensuring that employers are aware of the wealth of skills and experience that older workers bring to the workplace.
The Department for Work and Pensions engages with employers to encourage positive attitudes towards older workers. The Government appointed Andy Briggs as the Government’s Business Champion for Older Workers who spearheads work to promote the benefits of older workers and having multigenerational workforces to employers across England, and the adoption of suitable work practices to increase the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers.
In March 2023, the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression announced the appointment of Helen Tomlinson, as the Government’s Menopause Employment Champion, to drive awareness of issues surrounding the menopause and work and encourage employers to develop policies that create a more supportive environment to support women to stay in work, progress or re-join the labour market.
The Department has signed the Age-friendly employer pledge, a nationwide programme run by the Centre for Ageing Better to promote age inclusive working practices. In turn, the National Employment and Partnership Team (NEPT) are engaging with employers and promoting the pledge to encourage others to sign up too.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 merits of expanding young people's access to occupational health services on their mental health.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government recognises that expert-led impartial advice, and interventions such as Occupational Health (OH), can provide appropriate and timely work-based support, including for young people, to manage mental health conditions in the workplace. OH as advisory support has a broad remit, including assessments of fitness for work, advice about reasonable adjustments, workability, or return to work plans and can signpost to treatment for specific mental health conditions.
In addition to this, the DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young adults aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisors work with local partners to signpost young adults to appropriate support. Youth Hubs work with partners to address barriers to young adults moving into employment, including other risk factors that could be associated with mental ill health. The type of support provided in hubs aims to meet the needs of young adults in their local community. We have recommended that all new Youth Hubs consider the barriers young people are facing (including access to mental health support) when determining the support services and partners available from a hub.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on the Youth Employment Programme in each financial year since it was launched; and how much his Department is forecast to spend on the Youth Employment Programme in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to young jobseekers in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group who are referred to a Youth Hub which is not available to those accessing services through their local Jobcentre.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer. Youth Hubs are based in partner premises across Great Britain and bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus work coach and place-based wrap around support from local partners to help young people into work. The wider support offered in a Youth Hub will be dependent on local needs. Employability support to build confidence and motivation, access to training and advice on debt, housing and mental health are examples of the enhanced offer some Youth Hubs are providing.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve social mobility among young people.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Alongside education, employment plays a crucial role in helping to improve social mobility among young people.
The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes more intensive support early in their Universal Credit claim, Youth Employability Coaches for young people with additional barriers to finding work, and Youth Hubs across Great Britain.
Our Work Coaches support young people’s individual aspirations, identify and help address skills gaps and wider barriers to entering work or progressing in their careers. They are supported by a network of dedicated Jobcentre Plus outreach leads specialising in areas including support for young care leavers or who – in the case of our support for schools’ advisers – are helping young people in schools in disadvantaged areas develop successful career pathways.
Spring Budget confirmed that the Youth Offer will be extended to the end of the Parliament and – from Autumn – will be expanded so more young Universal Credit claimants can access this dedicated support.
DWP is a strong champion for social mobility and has met with the Social Mobility Commission and celebrated National Social Mobility Awareness Day. Alongside this, DWP has established the Social Mobility Pledge Consortium in partnership with Talk Talk.
The pledge asks businesses to make measurable commitments to diversify the backgrounds of their workforce and help vulnerable people progress. We celebrated some of the achievements our nearly 120 employer signatories have made over the last year at a national conference at the Tottenham Hotspur football stadium on Tuesday 20th June.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants aged 18-24 who are in the Intensive Work Search regime accessed support from a Youth Hub in (a) May 2023 and (b) the most recent month for which data is available.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches and Youth Hubs across Great Britain. Young people are referred to the most appropriate part of the Youth Offer depending on their individual circumstances.
When a claimant enrols on the Youth Employment Programme or is referred to a Youth Hub or Youth Employability Coach they are classified as having started on the Youth Offer. We do not have a separate measure of engagement. The number of claimants referred to a Youth Hub in May 2023 was 1,100
Notes:
For wider information regarding the number of claimants who have been referred to a Youth Hub, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 190115.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers (a) were referred to and (b) engaged with Youth Hub services (i) in 2021-22, (ii) in 2022-23 and (iii) between 1 April 2023 and 19 June 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches and Youth Hubs across Great Britain. Young people are referred to the most appropriate part of the Youth Offer depending on their individual circumstances.
| FY21/22 | FY22/23 | 01 April – 31 May 2023 |
Youth Offer | 278,100 | 284,800 | 44,100 |
Youth Employment Programme | 253,600 | 266,000 | 40,500 |
Youth Hub | 14,600 | 14,700 | 2,100 |
Youth Employability Coach | 21,500 | 18,100 | 2,300 |
Notes:
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) Youth Hub and (b) Jobcentre support in helping young jobseekers into employment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches for young people with additional barriers to finding work, and Youth Hubs across Great Britain.
The Youth Offer is subject to a Process Evaluation, with full findings expected to be shared internally by late 2023. This will inform any improvements or future changes to the Youth Offer policy. The evaluation plans involve hearing from young people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, and those that work with them, on the services they receive via Youth Hubs and Jobcentres to understand their effectiveness and enable us to make improvements as appropriate. There are plans for an impact assessment of the effectiveness of the Youth Offer whose findings will be shared internally once available.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of Youth Hub locations in Great Britain as of 19 June 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer which also includes the Youth Employment Programme and Youth Employability Coaches. Youth Hubs across Great Britain bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus work coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people into work. The support offered in a Youth Hub is dependent on local needs and includes skills, training, employment provision and dedicated support services.
The below list of open Youth Hubs is valid as of 19 June 2023. Due to changes in local needs new Youth Hubs may open, and existing Youth Hubs may close. The number of open Youth Hubs may therefore fluctuate.
Group | Youth Hub Name |
Central and West Scotland | Glasgow Central Based East Youth Hub |
| Glasgow Kelvin College Youth Hub |
| Glasgow/Central Base/Youth Hub |
| Invest Youth Hub |
| Kilmarnock Youth Hub |
East and North Scotland | Aberdeen NESCol Youth Hub |
| Alloa FV College Campus Youth Hub |
| Dundee and Angus College Kingsway |
| Dundee Angus |
| Dundee Helm |
| Dundee Street League Youth Hub |
| Elgin Youth Employability Hub @ Moray Pathways |
| Forth Valley College |
| Stirling Community Enterprise Youth Hub |
| West Fife Youth Hub |
| West Lothian College |
London & Essex | Barking BLC Youth Hub |
| Enfield / Youth Hub |
| Grays Inspire Youth Hub |
| Hackney Youth Hub |
| Hammersmith & Fulham Youth Hub |
| Haringey Youth Hub |
| Islington / Youth Hub |
| Make It Happen Youth Hub |
| Opportunity Space (Greenwich and Bexley) |
| Opportunity Space Lewisham |
| Westminster/ Youth Hub |
North and East Midlands | Harworth |
| Leicester Youth Hub |
| Lincoln / The Network / Youth Hub |
| Northampton Youth Hub |
| Norwich |
| YES Derbyshire |
North Central England | Accrington Youth Hub |
| Barnsley Youth Hub |
| Barrow Youth Hub |
| Blackpool Youth Hub |
| Bradford / Vibe / Youth Hub |
| Burnley Thrive Youth Hub |
| Crossfield House Youth Hub |
| Dewsbury Youth Hub |
| Doncaster Youth Hub |
| Fleetwood Youth Hub |
| Hemsworth Youth Hub |
| Huddersfield Youth Hub |
| Keighley Vibe |
| Kendal/Youth Hub |
| Leeds Dewsbury Road |
| Pendle Yes Youth Hub |
| Penrith Youth Hub |
| Rotherham Community & Employment Youth Hub |
| Sheffield East Youth Hub |
| Sheffield South East Youth Hub |
| Sheffield South Youth Hub |
| Sheffield Specialist Youth Hub |
| Sheffield United Community Foundation Youth Hub |
| Sheffield Wednesday Youth Hub |
| Skelmersdale Youth Hub |
| Wakefield Youth Hub |
| Whitehaven/Youth Hub |
| Workington/Youth Hub |
North East England | Darlington/Youth Hub |
| Durham LA/Peterlee/Youth Hub |
| Durham Works |
| DurhamLA/Stanley/Youth Hub |
| Hartlepool/Enterprise Centre/Youth Hub |
| Redcar & Cleveland/Grangetown/Youth Hub |
| Stockton/Youth Hub |
North West England | Altrincham Youth Hub |
| Ellergreen/North/Youth Hub |
| Farnworth Youth Hub |
| Halton Youth Hub |
| Hyde & Denton Youth Hub |
| Leigh Youth Hub |
| Liverpool Reach Youth Hub |
| Liverpool/MYA/Youth Hub |
| Liverpool/Thrive/Youth Hub |
| Manchester Youth Hub |
| Merseyside Community Training (Quinnovations) |
| Oldham Youth Hub |
| Partington Youth Hub |
| Power in partnership (Widnes) |
| Rochdale Youth Hub |
| Sefton Youth Hub - The Big Onion |
| St Helens Youth Hub |
| Stockport Youth Hub |
| Westhoughton Youth Hub |
| Wigan Youth Hub |
South East England | Addlestone Youth Hub |
| Ashford Youth Hub |
| Brighton and Hove Youth Hub |
| Brooklands College Youth Hub |
| Camberley Youth Hub |
| Crawley Youth Hub |
| Epsom Youth Hub |
| Hastings Youth Hub |
| Rosehill Community Centre Youth Hub |
| Staines Elmsleigh Centre |
| Woking Youth Hub |
| Worthing Youth Hub |
South West England | Bristol Youth Hub |
| Havant Youth Hub |
| Plymouth Youth Hub |
| Southampton Central Youth Hub |
Wales | Cwmbran All About Youth Hub |
| Newport Central Youth Hub |
| Newport East Youth Hub |
| Newport North All About Youth |
| Swansea Youth Hub |
West Midlands | Bilston YH |
| Birmingham Library Youth Hub |
| Birmingham Lighthouse Youth Hub |
| Birmingham South Youth Hub |
| Coventry Job shop Youth Hub |
| Dudley Skills Shop Youth Hub |
| Solihull Youth Hub |
| Telford Youth Hub |
| Wolverhampton The Way Youth Hub |
| Worcester County Council |