Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the proportion of 18 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training in north Greater Manchester.

As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Youth Guarantee will build upon and enhance existing entitlements and provisions with the aim of tackling the rising number of young people who are not participating in education, employment or training.

DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.

For example, Positive Steps, a charitable organisation provides drop-in sessions with Jobcentre colleagues in Heywood library every Tuesday, and at the Lighthouse project every Thursday afternoon for our Middleton customers. Positive Steps are also currently running the Engaging Rochdale project throughout the whole borough, which is proving successful, offering 12 weeks paid work.