United Kingdom
Strategies for youth employment
- Strategies for youth employment
- Yes
Youth employment strategy planned in the next 2 years
- Discussions within the government
- No
- Consultations with national-level stakeholders (e.g. employers’ and workers’ associations, youth councils, etc.)
- No
- A draft strategy already exists
- No
- Other (please specify)
- No
Countries with national action plans for youth employment
- Monitoring framework (timeline and activity/outcome indicators, e.g. youth labour market indicators)
- Yes
- Funding (indicative budget to implement the plan)
- Yes
- Institutional responsibilities (e.g. ministries/agencies in charge of specific planned activities )
- No
- Other, specify
- No
Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
- Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
- Yes
Additional information:
In Great Britain, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for both the budget and the implementation of the provisions set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper and the DWP Youth Offer. As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper (November 2024), the government launched a Youth Guarantee to ensure that all young people aged 18–21 in England have access to employment support, education, or training. This included a commitment of £45 million in funding for 2025/26 to support eight place-based Youth Guarantee trailblazers, delivered in partnership with mayoral authorities. These trailblazers will design and test integrated youth support models with shared governance, agreed outcomes, and a focus on proactive outreach to ensure no young person is left behind. A robust evaluation and learning process will accompany the initiative. In Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the Devolved Governments are responsible for the budget and implementation of youth-related policies and national employment strategiesYouth in the national development / employment strategy
- Youth in the national development / employment strategy
- Yes
Additional information:
The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out a number of reform measures to tackle the root causes behind why young people are not working, joining up help and support, based on the needs of local people and local places. The White Paper sets out fundamental reforms to tackle six key Issues: 1) Too many people are excluded from the labour market - especially those with health conditions, caring responsibilities or lower skill levels. 2) Too many young people leave school without essential skills or access to high-quality further learning, an apprenticeship or support to work so that they can thrive at the start of their career. 3) Too many people stuck in insecure, poor quality and often low paying work, which contributes to a weaker economy and also affects their health and wellbeing. 4) Too many women who care for their families still experience challenges staying In and progressing in work. 5) Too many employers cannot fill their vacancies due to labour and skills shortages, holding back economic growth and undermining living standards. 6) There Is too great a disparity in labour market outcomes between different places and for different groups of people. Wales: • The Stronger, Fairer, Greener - a Plan for Employability and Skills plan, published March 2022, sets out the steps Welsh Government is taking to support people in Wales, particularly those furthest from the labour market, to navigate and respond to work related challenges they may face, whether that is through training, upskilling, changing career or starting a business. A priority within the plan is to promote youth participation, progression and employment. Scotland: • No One Left Behind is the Scottish Government’s shared approach to delivering an all-age, place-based, person-centred model of employability support in Scotland. Young people make up the majority of people supported though No One Left Behind. Indeed, 56% of the total people supported between April 2019 and June 2024 were aged under 25 (37,384). Of these, 27,222 (73%) were aged 15 to 19 and 10,162 (27%) were aged 20 to 24.Countries with national goals for youth employment
- Countries with national goals for youth employment
- Yes
Additional information:
England: • To deliver a Youth Guarantee, that enables all 18-21 year olds in England to have access to education, training or help to find a job or an apprenticeship. All other young people will have access to the existing DWP Youth Offer to support routes into work related training, an apprenticeship or employment. Wales: • In December 2021, Welsh Ministers set National indicators and national milestones for Wales , including a National Milestone that at least 90% of 16-24 year olds will be in education, employment, or training by 2050. Scotland: • The aim of the Developing the Young Workforce strategy is to help all school leavers to access the transition support they need to ensure that every young person can further their education or secure a job or training place.Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
- Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
- Yes
Policy areas in national youth employment strategies
- Macroeconomic and Sectoral policies
- Yes
- Enterprise Development
- No
- Education, Training and skills development
- Yes
- Labour Demand
- Yes
- Labour Law and Legislation
- No
- Labour Market Policies
- Yes
- Other (please specify)
- Yes
Social partners' inclusion in the youth employment strategy
- Workers
- Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
- Consulted
- Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
- Fully involved
- Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
- Consulted
- Employers
- Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
- Consulted
- Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
- Fully involved
- Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
- Consulted
Youth-led organizatios' inclusion in the national strategy
- Fully involved
- Yes
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- No
- Consulted
- No
- Informed
- No
- Not involved
- No
Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
- Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
- Yes
Additional information:
2025: Please refer to our response to question 10.2. Scotland: Additionally in Scotland, as part of the Non One Left Behind approach, the Scottish & Local Government work together with public, private, and third sector organisations to design and deliver services offering employability support. The services are delivered locally, ensuring individuals, including young people, receive person centred and tailored support to help them progress into sustainable employment. --- 2022 survey: Our National Employer Partnership Team leads engagement with employers and representative bodies - as part of our ongoing efforts to develop and maintain national partnerships through which we can support young people. Partnership Managers in Jobcentres are responsible for building links with local welfare-to-work service providers, including further education colleges and independent training providers. DWP’s Sector-based Work Academy Programme – SWAP - (training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview) is delivered by Jobcentres in partnership with employers and local training providers. It allows people to learn the skills and behaviours that employers in particular industries look for. SWAPs are employer-driven and designed around job vacancies. Placements are developed by Jobcentres in partnership with employers and training providers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2020 survey: The Mentoring Circles initiative was introduced from April 2019 and is intended to support young people who are aged 16-24 giving them an opportunity to build on their employability skills through facilitating interaction with employers. The main aim of Mentoring Circles is to increase the confidence, motivation and job search skills of the young people to help them move closer to employment by raising their aspirations and fostering a can-do approach.Inclusiveness of vulnerable groups in national strategies
- Women
- No
- Migrant Workers
- No
- NEETs
- Yes
- People with disabilities
- Yes
- Low skilled workers
- No
- Rural workers
- No
- Other (please specify)
- Yes
Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
- Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
- No