The government’s new £45 million Youth Guarantee scheme, supporting 18- to 21-year-olds into work and training, is welcome and long overdue.
With nearly one million young people in England currently not in education, employment or training, this intervention is timely.
But while the rhetoric is bold and the ambition commendable, the true test will be in the detail and in the delivery.
£5m for the West Midlands
The West Midlands, one of eight areas selected to pioneer the initiative, stands to benefit from a £5 million investment and a raft of support services: mental health help, travel passes, work placements, and tailored training.
Crucially, the scheme also promises to target those most in need – care leavers, young people with disabilities, and those furthest from the labour market. That focus is right.
But scepticism lingers. Government-backed youth initiatives have a patchy history. Too many have launched with fanfare and disappeared quietly, undone by poor coordination, limited scope, or short-term thinking.
Long-term pathways needed – not revolving doors
Without meaningful job creation and long-term pathways into careers, we risk offering young people little more than a revolving door of schemes that don’t stick.
The trailblazer approach makes sense – pilot, learn, then scale – but success hinges on three things: accountability, sustained funding, and listening to young people themselves. A panel of young voices is a good start. Now it needs teeth.
And let’s not pretend £45 million, spread across England, is transformative. It’s a starting point, not a solution. If the government is serious about levelling up opportunity and making the Youth Guarantee more than a slogan, it must match the promise with persistence.
So yes, it’s a step in the right direction. But the real work starts now – and young people deserve more than just another headline.
