Labour’s promise of a “guarantee” of job support, an apprenticeship or training for every young person has been described as “a wrapper for several existing initiatives”.
Today, the government published its Get Britain Working white paper which sets out its plans for a “joined up” approach to cutting its growing benefits bill through employment support, education and health.
It includes details on a “youth guarantee” that was promised in Labour’s election manifesto to ensure every young person between 18 and 21 has a “real chance of either earning or learning”.
But rather than setting out new policies, the document admits the “guarantee” is “based, in the first instance, on existing provision and entitlements” that young people can access such as further education, apprenticeships, skills bootcamps and youth employment services.
The guarantee will be brought “to life” through eight place-based trailblazers, which were announced over night and backed with £45 million.
The mayors in charge of the eight areas will be tasked with identifying young people most at risk of falling out of education or employment and matching them to job or training opportunities.
New “transition plans” will also be created by the trailblazers to trial the ability to “automatically reserve” a place at a local college for disengaged young people.
Tom Richmond, a former government skills advisor, said a “guarantee” should address both supply and demand, through measures such as a Kickstart-style subsidised job programme and incentive payments for employers with apprentices.
He told FE Week: “It is therefore immensely frustrating that the new ‘youth guarantee’ for 18 to 21-year-olds appears to be little more than a wrapper for several existing initiatives rather than offering any new funding or innovative approaches.”
Through the youth trailblazer areas, mayors in the eight devolved regions will “work closely and at pace” with the government to design and test “persistent challenges around coordination, engagement and accountability”.
The paper promises “clear plans for delivery with agreed outcomes” alongside “evaluation and support”.
Richmond said £45 million for “a handful of pilot projects” next year in 2025/26 fails to “match the scale” of the almost one million young who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).
He added: “It lacks the ambition and firepower of a Kickstart-style scheme and lacks clarity in terms of who will be driving it forward and take responsibility for ensuring its success.”
A stronger guarantee could have included broadening the scope of the policy to target 16 to 24-year-olds, as some in the youth and employment sector have suggested.
Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute (L&W) said: “The youth guarantee is really welcome, as time out of work or education when young can damage long-term career prospects.
“One of the challenges this policy aims to tackle is the disparate array of initiatives currently. Putting local leaders in charge of drawing up plans to engage young people and offer them the right support is valuable in itself, but the government will also need to consider what extra investment or support is needed. We also think the youth guarantee should be extended to all 16-24-year-olds.”
However, Laura-Jane Rawlings, chief executive officer of Youth Employment UK, welcomed a change in “mood music” from the government for recognising that the country has a “youth employment problem” and taking a “joined up” approach of work support, healthcare and skills.
She said: “Young people’s needs are complex and we need to bring the system together better to get young people into jobs.
“We’re cautious about the guarantee, but let’s be ambitious about it and make sure these trial tests offer a real youth guarantee.”
