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, with reference to the press notice entitled Government announces employment support boost for over 30,000 economically inactive young people, published by his Department on 25 September 2023, how his Department estimated the number of additional 16 to 24 year-olds that would benefit from the expansion of the youth offer to economically inactive claimants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support for 16-24-year olds on Universal Credit to help them find work. Eligibility for the Youth Offer has, as of the 25th September 2023, been expanded to include additional young people on Universal Credit who are not currently searching for work, including young parents and carers.
The estimate of over 30,000 young people provided was based on DWP administrative data as of 12th September 2023 date and shows the number of young people in Work Focused Interview or Work Preparation groups, who are not in employment or on the health journey who could now take up the offer of support through the Youth Offer.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many special educational needs coordinators have left employment in the youth secure estate in each reporting year since 2010.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
A special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinator (known in Wales as an Additional Learning Needs (ALN) co-ordinator) is a member of staff employed by a secure establishment or its education provider. The co-ordinator is responsible for assessing, planning, and monitoring the progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Co-ordinators provide teachers with individual support strategies that facilitate children’s and young people’s holistic development.
The table below provides information in relation to SEN and ALN co-ordinators at the five young offender institutions (YOIs):
SEN/ALN Co-ordinators at Young Offender Institutions in England and Wales
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
In post | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Leaversi | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
In post | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Leavers1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1 A SEN or ALN co-ordinator who leaves HMPPS or one of the YOIs’ education providers
Complete data in relation to secure training centres, some of which closed during the period in question, is not available.
Appointment of SEN or ALN co-ordinators at secure children’s homes is the responsibility of the local authorities that employ them.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Heads of Education, Skills and Work employed within the youth secure estate have completed training on (a) engaging with the commercial sector, (b) the Dynamic Purchasing System and (c) in-contract management with education providers as of 19 September 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Head of Education, Skills and Work (HoESW) is a new Head of Function (Governor) role, forming part of a prison’s Senior Management Team. Postholders have leadership experience from the education sector, many of whom were senior teachers. They are responsible for leading on the design and delivery of education, skills and work functions to improve prisoner education and employment outcomes on release. We have made great progress recruiting HoESW, with over 100 already in post. This includes all five roles being filled in the Youth Custody Estate.
A comprehensive induction and training programme has been designed to support postholders embed within prisons, improve delivery of education, skills and work services, and maximise related outcomes for prisoners. This includes all the areas highlighted by the hon. Member for Lewisham East. The induction and training programme is being delivered over September and October. This programme is mandatory for all postholders, including those working in the Youth Custody Estate.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on recruiting for Heads of Education, Skills and Work roles within the youth secure estate; and whether these roles are graded as equivalent to governors.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Head of Education, Skills and Work (HoESW) is a new Head of Function (Governor) role, forming part of a prison’s Senior Management Team. Postholders have leadership experience from the education sector, many of whom were senior teachers. They are responsible for leading on the design and delivery of education, skills and work functions to improve prisoner education and employment outcomes on release. We have made great progress recruiting HoESW, with over 100 already in post. This includes all five roles being filled in the Youth Custody Estate.
A comprehensive induction and training programme has been designed to support postholders embed within prisons, improve delivery of education, skills and work services, and maximise related outcomes for prisoners. This includes all the areas highlighted by the hon. Member for Lewisham East. The induction and training programme is being delivered over September and October. This programme is mandatory for all postholders, including those working in the Youth Custody Estate.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by The Prince's Trust and LADbible Gen Z: Redefining Dream Jobs, published on 19 September; in particular, the finding that 57 per cent of young people surveyed had lowered their long-term aspirations over the last two years due to concerns about mental health and the increased cost of living.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Whilst we are yet to make a detailed assessment of this specific report, the Department for Work and Pensions recognises the value of research and insight from key stakeholders including The Prince’s Trust to enable us to better understand the challenges faced by young people and the impact this has on their behaviour and motivations. We consider a broad range of perspectives when designing polices to better support young people, ranging from our regular engagement with youth stakeholder organisations like The Prince’s Trust and Youth Employment Group, to the Department’s own commissioned research and regularly speaking directly with young people themselves.
The Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support for 16-24-year olds on Universal Credit to help them find work. Eligibility for the Youth Offer has, as of the 25th September 2023, been expanded to include young people on Universal Credit who are not currently searching for work, including young parents and carers. This means that an additional 33,500 young people will be able to access the Youth Offer in order to progress in employment.
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.