Details of the Government’s much talked about Youth Guarantee have now been unveiled, with the headline being a £820 million funding package designed to help almost one million young people with learning and employment opportunities.
With the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) remaining stubbornly high, this is a much welcome set of policies and a much-needed investment. At Catch22 we’ve long been advocating for this as part of the Youth Employment Group and our own Public Service Reform agenda, based also on insights from our employability programmes, Liverpool Trailblazer offer, and youth provision.
What’s included in the Youth Guarantee?
The Youth Guarantee will include:
- 350,000 new training or workplace opportunities for young people on Universal Credit.
- A government-backed guaranteed job, which will begin roll-out from Spring 2026 in areas with some of the highest need in Great Britain.
- The expansion of Youth Hubs to a total of over 360.
- Further support in jobcentres for 900,000 young people on Universal Credit.
- A new Risk of NEET indicator tool, giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it’s needed most.
- Targeted support for young people in state-funded alternative provision schools, helping them secure valuable work experience.
Will it reach those who need it most?
In the last year, Catch22 has supported over 1,500 young people through our employability programmes. Our focus is on those furthest from the job market who often have multiple barriers to work, including care experienced young people, and are disengaged from other services such as Job Centre Plus.
We also run alternative provision schools for children and young people who are outside mainstream education, where we offer tailored support to help them transition into further training or employment.
We’re therefore pleased to see the commitment to supporting pupils in AP schools secure work experience, the expansion of youth hubs – so that support is available where young people are – and the guarantee of a job for those living in areas of high need.
Some missing links
As the focus on supporting NEETs intensifies through the Youth Guarantee, we will continue to push for measures that we know, from our experience of delivering youth employment programmes and youth services, will increase the likelihood of the Youth Guarantee’s success.
- Mental health strategy
The Youth Guarantee should be supplemented by a comprehensive mental health strategy for children and young people. According to the BMJ, more than a quarter of young adults aged 16-24 have a common mental health condition such as anxiety or depression – and 26% of NEET young people say poor mental health is a key reason they are economically inactive.
The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting MP, announced an ‘Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism’ last week. Its findings must be considered closely and built into the Youth Guarantee plans.
- Quality of work placements
The Youth Guarantee aims to find placements particularly in the hospitality, construction, and care sectors, which would also address workforce gaps.
A challenge with these sectors is that often the entry level jobs are insecure and with limited opportunity for progression. We advocate for work placement offers that focus on identified growth areas in the Government’s Industrial Strategy, such as the clean energy and digital sectors. This would require working closely with voluntary and community sector organisations and businesses – as well as linking in with local growth plans – to offer meaningful work placements with the real prospect of job opportunities that also help to grow the economy. Our Energise employability programme, in partnership with Shell, shows us that this works.
- Coastal communities
We’re also acutely aware, for instance through our employability provision in Norfolk and Suffolk, of the specific employment and related challenges faced by children and young people in coastal communities, caused also to local job markets and the lack of community transport. It is vital that the Youth Guarantee takes this into account not only through local employer engagement, but also through directing investment into those communities.
Conditionality – one to watch?
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden MP, confirmed that young people may face Universal Credit sanctions should they not engage with the Youth Guarantee offer. Although our experience tells us that incentivising is effective, we appreciate that this conditionality is being considered. This should however be weighted fairly and considerately against the disabilities, mental health struggles, or neurodiversity which young people may experience. Sanctions will likely only add further stress and risk disengagement.
Again, ensuring strong mental health provision – ideally in-programme – could help mitigate the effects this may cause. Moreover, employers will have to gain sufficient awareness and the tools to support these young people.
A guaranteed opportunity
A key part of our Catch22 vision is a strong society in which everyone has a purpose in life. Currently, too many young people are far removed from that, stuck in unemployment and inactivity, not feeling they’re getting a fair chance in life.
We therefore very much welcome the Youth Guarantee focus and investment in tackling the NEET crisis and for thousands of young people, it will present a guaranteed opportunity to gain the necessary skills and experience to enter work. Its success will rest on addressing the youth mental health crisis and on true cross-sector commitment – using the voluntary sector’s experience and expertise in engaging young people and providing wrap-around support, and knowing how to work closely with employers to provide meaningful opportunities.
Find out more about our employability programmes.