The UK government has pledged 300,000 new work experience and training placements over the next three years to tackle the youth unemployment crisis, backed by some of Britain's biggest employers including Manchester and Gatwick airports.
Government Initiative to Combat Rising Neet Numbers
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden announced the placements, which will span sectors from construction to hospitality, as well as health and social care. The announcement comes just a day after figures revealed that the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training (Neets) has risen to over one million.
Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who led a review into the Neet issue, highlighted that lack of work experience is the single most-cited barrier to work among young people. His report criticised schools for treating work experience as an afterthought, often leaving students to find placements themselves, which disadvantages those without strong networks.
"The first rung of the career ladder has thinned and is now simply out of reach for many young people," Milburn wrote. "That places them in a hopeless Catch-22 where employers ask for work experience but the opportunities for young people to gain it have narrowed or gone."
Details of the Placement Programme
The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that the 300,000 placements will include traditional work experience and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (Swaps). Swaps are short government-funded programmes for jobseekers claiming benefits, offering training, hands-on experience, and a guaranteed job interview.
McFadden said: "The evidence is clear, give young people real work experience and the chances of them building a lasting career increase dramatically. That's why we are creating 300,000 new placements, backed by some of Britain's biggest employers, to give young people the skills, confidence and connections they need to get on."
Additional Measures to Support Youth Employment
During a visit to Gatwick Airport on Friday, McFadden outlined further efforts to reduce youth unemployment. From next month, employers will receive a £3,000 hiring bonus for taking on a young person who has been unemployed for six months or more. From autumn, small and medium-sized businesses will get a £2,000 hiring bonus for taking on a young apprentice. Additionally, a subsidised job programme will be available for young people out of work for 18 months or more.
"All of these measures are aimed at more opportunity, more work for young people," McFadden added.
