Government Launches Job Scheme Targeting Young People on Universal Credit
LONDON – The Department for Work adn Pensions (DWP) announced Saturday a new initiative to offer dedicated job support and opportunities to 900,000 young people claiming Universal Credit. The scheme will focus on sectors including construction, hospitality, and health and social care, with government-backed jobs available across Birmingham and Solihull, the East Midlands, Greater manchester, Hertfordshire and Essex, Central and eastern Scotland, and South-west and south-eastern Wales.
The program aims to provide each eligible young person with a “dedicated work support session” followed by four weeks of “intensive support” from an employment coach. These coaches will then guide participants toward one of six pathways: direct employment, work experience, apprenticeships, wider training, learning opportunities, or workplace training programs guaranteeing an interview. The government anticipates over 1,000 young people will begin employment within the first six months.
“Every young person deserves a fair chance to succeed. When given the right support and opportunities, they will grasp them,” said McFadden, describing the funding as “a downpayment on young people’s future.”
The announcement comes as 12.7% – or 946,000 – of individuals aged 16-24 in the UK were classified as Not in education, Employment, or Training (NEET) in the three months to September. A quarter of this group cite long-term sickness or disability as a barrier to work or education, contributing to a rise in health and disability benefit claims.
The scheme has drawn criticism from the opposition. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately argued,”The Chancellor’s tax hikes are driving up youth unemployment,snatching a career from a generation of young people,” adding that the initiative is “nothing more than taking with one hand to give with the other.”
Further details are expected in the coming week with the planned publication of the government’s national youth strategy. The DWP’s announcement builds on a previously revealed plan to fully fund apprenticeship training for under-25s at small and medium businesses. The government also launched an self-reliant review last month to investigate the increasing number of young people not currently engaged in work or study.
