NEWS: Government Plans 300,000 New Work Placements to Tackle Youth Unemployment

As reported by the Guardian, the government is set to expand work experience opportunities for young people, with plans for an additional 300,000 placements over the next three years as ministers seek to address rising levels of youth inactivity. Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, is expected to describe the growing number of young people outside education and employment as a “quiet crisis”, with close to one million 16- to 24-year-olds currently classified as not in education, employment or training (Neet). Ministers say almost 60% of those young people have never previously had a job. About half of the new placements are expected to come through sector-based work academy programmes, known as Swaps, which combine short training courses with guaranteed job interviews. Analysis carried out for the Department for Work and Pensions suggests participants in the schemes are more likely to secure long-term employment than those who do not take part. The figures indicate participants are 13% more likely to be in work two years later, while four in 10 move into sustained employment within six months. Government data shows nearly 100,000 Swaps placements were completed in 2025-26, including a record 25,000 starters aged between 16 and 24. Ministers are aiming to increase that figure to 115,000 next year. McFadden said many of the traditional entry-level jobs once relied upon by younger workers had declined, particularly in retail, while the pandemic disrupted early workplace experience for many teenagers and young adults. The government believes expanding Swaps programmes could help more young people move into stable employment and reconnect with the labour market.