The government will invest in eight “youth trailblazer areas” to identify young people most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to job or training opportunities as part of its promised “youth guarantee”.

New partnerships involving “iconic” cultural and sporting organisations like the Premier League, Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company have also been created to offer work or learning openings to young people furthest from the jobs market. 

The policies are set to be outlined in the government’s Get Britain Working white paper that is due to be published later today. (Click here to read the full white paper)

It comes after work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall (pictured) suggested over the weekend that young people will lose their benefits if they refuse to take up work and training opportunities.

The government’s goal is to cut its “ballooning” benefits bill by raising the country’s employment rate from 74.8 to 80 per cent. 

Figures show that almost one and a half million people are unemployed, over nine million people are inactive, a record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness. Stats published last week also revealed that almost 1 million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Ahead of today’s white paper, the Department for Work and Pensions trailed multiple policy announcements to address these issues in a press release.

While we await the full details, here’s what we know so far.

£45m to kickstart ‘youth guarantee’

Labour’s election manifesto vowed to ensure that every 18- to- 21-year-old in England will have access to an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities or help to find a job under a new “youth guarantee”.

The government’s plan to kickstart this policy is to set up eight youth “trailblazer” areas in Liverpool, West Midlands, Tees Valley, East Midlands, West of England, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and two in London.

Each area will be given a share of £45 million in funding to “identify those most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to opportunities for education, training or work”.

“New partnerships” with cultural and sporting organisations will also be detailed in the Get Britain Working white paper as part of the youth guarantee plan.

The white paper is part of wider government action to promote new training opportunities, including reforming the apprenticeship levy into a growth and skills levy so that it funds more types of training than is currently allowed. Foundation and shorter apprenticeships are part of this.

Signalling its intent to dock benefits if young people refuse to take up these opportunities, DWP’s press release said: “These new opportunities will be the responsibility of young people to take them up. In return for these new opportunities, young people will be expected to engage with training or work that’s on offer so no young person is left behind.”

DWP also said an advisory panel will be set up to “put young people at the heart of decision making”, as well as a disability panel.

£55m to create national jobs and careers service

DWP announced in July that it would merge the National Careers Service with job centres.

Today’s white paper is expected to begin this work by committing £55 million to trial a “radically improved digital offer”, with the DWP using the “latest technologies and AI to provide up-to date information on jobs, skills and other support and to free up work coach time”.

Staff at Jobcentres will have “more flexibility” to offer a more “personalised service to jobseekers – moving away from the ‘tick box’ culture”, the press release said, adding that new coaching academies will also be set up to upskill jobcentre staff.

Testing and digital design will be carried out into next year to “understand how best to bring DWP services online and make them easier to access to deliver tailored support, including CV advice and job adverts”.

Mayors to shape their own skills and work plans

Last month’s budget pledged £240 million for mayoral combined authorities and several unidentified English ‘trailblazer’ areas to help get disabled people and those off work due to long-term sickness with better skills, work and health support.

Up to £15 million will be made available to support local areas across England that do not have mayors to develop their own plans and to support the trailblazers.

The government will also provide £115 million in funding next year to enable local areas across England and Wales to deliver a new supported employment programme called Connect to Work scheme.

Connect to Work provides “voluntary employment offers to people with disabilities, health conditions or complex barriers to work and will support up to 100,000 people a year at full roll out” as the first tranche of money from a the Get Britain Working fund.

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said: “The Get Britain Working white paper shows that this government stands unashamedly for work. We will make sure everyone, regardless of their background, age, ethnicity, health, disability or postcode can benefit from the dignity and purpose work can bring.

“We can build a healthier, wealthier nation – driving up employment and opportunity, skills and productivity – while driving down the benefit bill.”