Young People not in Work, Education or Training

Lord Baker of Dorking Excerpts

Monday 8th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that question and also for his history of tackling this issue in past Labour Governments. I fully agree with him that having nearly 1 million young people not in work, education or training is not only bad for those young people but also very bad for the economy. That is why we have today announced further detail on the policy measures underpinning the youth guarantee, to which this Government have committed £820 million over the next three years. For young people on UC, we are introducing a new youth guarantee gateway session and follow-up support, which will be offered to nearly 900,000 16 to 24 year-olds in jobcentres over the next three years. We are expanding youth hubs to over 360 locations, creating around 300,000 opportunities for young people to gain workplace experience and training. We are also fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16 to 24 year-olds, by removing the need for non-levy-paying employers to co-fund these learners; that is alongside the job placement for 18 to 21 year-olds that I have already talked about. That is the way we will turn around the scandal of nearly 1 million young people neither earning nor learning, with all the damage that creates for them and the economy.

[Lord Baker of Dorking (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for visiting two university technical colleges, where she saw colleges which had a NEET unemployment rate of under 2%, compared to the rate of a mainstream school of 13.6%, which is disgraceful and unacceptable. As no new colleges or schools will be built in the next five years, the only way that those in school in communities that have an industrial heritage will be able to study a practical, technical education is to have a sleeve of UTCs from 14 to 18. The Minister knows that we produce 25% apprentices and 50% STEM graduates. That is our contribution to ensuring that, by the time of the next election, youth unemployment will not exceed what it is today.

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I always enjoy my visits to UTCs and of course my conversations with the noble Lord as well. UTCs are doing a very good job in providing technical education which then leads on to apprenticeships, and so are other schools as well. At the heart of our post-16 White Paper was that we provide the pathways, through the new V-levels, T-levels and apprenticeships, for young people to get the skills they need to make a success of their lives.