McFadden overstated employer interest in jobs guarantee

Work and pensions secretary backtracks on claim 60+ employers already 'committed' jobs for NEET young people

Work and pensions secretary backtracks on claim 60+ employers already 'committed' jobs for NEET young people

Pat McFadden has been forced to correct the record after claiming 60 firms  – including Tesco – had already signed up to employ NEET young people through Labour’s job guarantee scheme.

In a statement to Parliament on January 29, the work and pensions secretary thanked “over 60 employers who have already committed to providing jobs for participants of the scheme”, and then named E.ON, JD Sports, Tesco and TUI as taking part.

But the minister corrected his original statement this afternoon due to a “minor error”, namely that the employers had not “committed” but had merely ““expressed an interest”.

McFadden’s January 29 statement opened the application process for jobs guarantee delivery organisations. 

Guidance published that day revealed that delivery organisations, which can be colleges, training providers, local authorities or other specialist employment organisations, will be paid up to £2,650 for each eligible young person they place into paid work.

Latest education roles from

Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing

Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing

Capital City College Group

Group Principal & Chief Executive Officer

Group Principal & Chief Executive Officer

Windsor Forest Colleges Group

Regional Director

Regional Director

Leo Academy Trust

Executive Head Teacher (Trust-wide SEND)

Executive Head Teacher (Trust-wide SEND)

The Legacy Learning Trust

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Preparing learners for work, not just exams: the case for skills-led learning

As further education (FE) continues to adapt to shifting labour markets, digital transformation and widening participation agendas, providers are...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

How Eduqas GCSE English Language is turning the page on ‘I’m never going to pass’

“A lot of learners come to us thinking ‘I’m rubbish at English, and I’m never going to pass’,” says...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Fragmentation in FE: tackling the problem of disjointed tech, with OneAdvanced Education

Further education has always been a place where people make complexity work through dedication and ingenuity. Colleges and apprenticeship...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Teaching leadership early: the missing piece in youth employability

Leaders in education and industry are ready to play their part in tackling the UK’s alarming levels of youth...

Advertorial

More from this theme

Politics

DWP questions January 2026: live blog

Live updates from ministers taking questions in Parliament

Anviksha Patel
Politics

Education questions January 2026: Live blog

Follow live updates as Bridget Phillipson and her education ministers take questions from MPs in the House of Commons

Shane Chowen
Budget 2025, Politics

Apprentice minimum wage to rise to £8

New hourly rate will apply from April 2026, chancellor set to announce at tomorrow’s budget

Anviksha Patel
Apprenticeships, Politics

Badenoch: I’ll double apprenticeships budget by slashing uni degrees

Leader of the opposition would reintroduce student number controls for 'poor quality' uni courses to fund apprenticeship boost

Shane Chowen

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *