With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through an expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobcentres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.

A central part of the Youth Guarantee is working with employers to create more opportunities for young people. Leading hospitality businesses, including Whitbread, McDonald's, Nando's, Marriott, Compass, Burger King and Wagamama, have committed to providing over 100,000 jobs to 18-24-year old young people who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) by the end of the Parliament. This is an employer commitment to recruit young people into jobs. There is no additional cost to the taxpayer from the scheme. The commitment is driving NEET recruitment through employers’ existing channels, as well as encouraging take-up of existing Government employment and skills provisions.

These job opportunities will be delivered through direct recruitment and a hospitality training programme that provides disadvantaged young people sector-specific experience, a guaranteed interview and a 'Hospitality Skills Passport'. The Hospitality Skills passport certifies to new hospitality employers that participants have the skills needed to succeed in the sector.

Alongside these jobs, participating employers will provide additional work experience placements, supported by Jobcentres, to help young people gain the skills and experience they need to move into employment. Participants will continue to receive ongoing Universal Credit and work coach support throughout their placement, while employers will provide the placement, induction, uniforms and a dedicated workplace "buddy" for every participant.

DWP will also be working with UKHospitality and Mayoral Strategic Authorities to expand access to the Hospitality Skills Passport, funded through the Adult Skills Fund, through approved colleges and training providers.

With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through an expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobcentres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.

A central part of the Youth Guarantee is working with employers to create more opportunities for young people. Leading hospitality businesses, including Whitbread, McDonald's, Nando's, Marriott, Compass, Burger King and Wagamama, have committed to providing over 100,000 jobs to 18-24-year old young people who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) by the end of the Parliament. This is an employer commitment to recruit young people into jobs. There is no additional cost to the taxpayer from the scheme. The commitment is driving NEET recruitment through employers’ existing channels, as well as encouraging take-up of existing Government employment and skills provisions.

These job opportunities will be delivered through direct recruitment and a hospitality training programme that provides disadvantaged young people sector-specific experience, a guaranteed interview and a 'Hospitality Skills Passport'. The Hospitality Skills passport certifies to new hospitality employers that participants have the skills needed to succeed in the sector.

Alongside these jobs, participating employers will provide additional work experience placements, supported by Jobcentres, to help young people gain the skills and experience they need to move into employment. Participants will continue to receive ongoing Universal Credit and work coach support throughout their placement, while employers will provide the placement, induction, uniforms and a dedicated workplace "buddy" for every participant.

DWP will also be working with UKHospitality and Mayoral Strategic Authorities to expand access to the Hospitality Skills Passport, funded through the Adult Skills Fund, through approved colleges and training providers.

Tailored, flexible advice and support is available from Jobcentre Plus as part of its core offer for individuals aged over 25 who are in receipt of Universal Credit. Work Coaches offer all claimants a comprehensive menu of help to relevant training provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.

Financial support is available through the Flexible Support Fund can help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus.

Work Experience can also be discussed with claimants. Jobcentre District Employer & Partnership teams work with organisations and employers to promote local work experience opportunities.

For those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more, the Restart Scheme provides 12 months of more intensive support, including bespoke action plans.

Alongside this, disabled people and people with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work through Pathways to Work, our voluntary offer of personalised work, health and skills support, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade.

We are also delivering 11 Economic Inactivity Trailblazers, led by Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Welsh Government, which are testing local approaches to support people who are hardest to reach to move towards work.

Safeguarding children must always be a key priority. Recent changes to regulated activity, introduced by the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which remove the supervision exemption, have brought more activities into scope of regulated activity. The department is aware that this change has created concerns amongst employers, schools and work experience providers about when an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with children's barred list information might be suitable for staff supervising under-16 work experience placements. We are actively considering these concerns to ensure young people can benefit from work experience placements and feel confident about their next step, equipped with the skills and experience they need to succeed.

DBS has published guidance on changes to regulated activity and is hosting Disclosure and Eligibility Workshops for organisations that are unsure about how the removal of the supervision exemption may affect their workforce.

The department is at an early stage in developing technical education routes from age 14. Rollout is intended to begin in some areas from September 2028. We are working with Mayoral and other Strategic Authorities to co-design a national framework that provides a recognisable national offer, with clear and consistent standards and expectations, while allowing areas to tailor technical routes to local labour market needs and growth priorities.

High-quality technical routes will be supported by the introduction of new Vocational GCSEs. These qualifications will sit alongside existing GCSEs and provide rigorous, vocationally focused learning of equal esteem. Pupils will continue to study the core subjects of English, maths, and science, alongside relevant work experience placements. Through the National Mission on Work Experience, the government is calling on employers to provide an additional 200,000 placements so that all 14-to-16-year-olds across the country gain vital exposure to the workplace.

Technical routes will widen young people’s choices rather than require them to specialise at age 14. Schools are expected, as part of their duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, to offer subject options that meet the aspirations of all pupils. Young people should be supported to choose qualifications and routes that reflect their interests, strengths and aspirations, informed by discussions with parents, carers, schools and colleges, and by high-quality careers guidance. The routes will support coherent progression to a range of academic and technical post-16 options.

Central to our policy is our engagement with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities, schools, colleges, employers, local leaders, young people, parents, and bodies including Ofqual and Ofsted. This engagement and other evidence will inform and support our decisions on delivery arrangements.

The department is at an early stage in developing technical education routes from age 14. Rollout is intended to begin in some areas from September 2028. We are working with Mayoral and other Strategic Authorities to co-design a national framework that provides a recognisable national offer, with clear and consistent standards and expectations, while allowing areas to tailor technical routes to local labour market needs and growth priorities.

High-quality technical routes will be supported by the introduction of new Vocational GCSEs. These qualifications will sit alongside existing GCSEs and provide rigorous, vocationally focused learning of equal esteem. Pupils will continue to study the core subjects of English, maths, and science, alongside relevant work experience placements. Through the National Mission on Work Experience, the government is calling on employers to provide an additional 200,000 placements so that all 14-to-16-year-olds across the country gain vital exposure to the workplace.

Technical routes will widen young people’s choices rather than require them to specialise at age 14. Schools are expected, as part of their duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, to offer subject options that meet the aspirations of all pupils. Young people should be supported to choose qualifications and routes that reflect their interests, strengths and aspirations, informed by discussions with parents, carers, schools and colleges, and by high-quality careers guidance. The routes will support coherent progression to a range of academic and technical post-16 options.

Central to our policy is our engagement with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities, schools, colleges, employers, local leaders, young people, parents, and bodies including Ofqual and Ofsted. This engagement and other evidence will inform and support our decisions on delivery arrangements.

Work experience is a key part of a high-quality careers programme, helping young people develop skills for work and make successful transitions into employment.

The department supports employer engagement through Careers Hubs, where over 400 leading employers and almost 3,000 business volunteers help provide careers and work experience opportunities across England, including in key growth sectors.

The Careers & Enterprise Company’s Employer Standards help businesses improve the quality and inclusivity of their outreach to education while strengthening talent pipelines.

The department also supports employers to deliver T Level industry placements through guidance, workshops, webinars and resources. These placements provide students with substantial workplace experience and opportunities to apply their learning.

The department is also supporting industry placements in the construction sector for learners undertaking level 2 and 3 qualifications. It has published guidance and is engaging with the Construction Skills Mission Board to help increase high-quality opportunities for young people.

Economic growth is the central mission of the government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

The department encourages universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced an ambition to create 100,000 new jobs in the retail sector for young people by 2029, supporting more young people to take their first step into work. This is a significant commitment from one of the UK's largest employment sectors and an important contribution towards the Government's ambition that every young person has the opportunity to build the skills, experience and connections needed to move into work.

As part of this ambition, BRC is launching 'Opening Shift' a new joint DWP and BRC work experience programme for 18–24 year old jobseekers. ‘Opening Shift’ will provide retail work experience, workplace support and interview experience, helping young people to build skills, confidence and experience employers are looking for.

The commitment complements the Government's Youth Guarantee, which is backed by £2.5 billion of additional investment and will ensure young people can access the support, training, work experience and opportunities they need to move into employment, education or training. ‘Opening Shift’ will play an important role in helping deliver the Youth Guarantee's commitment to provide 150,000 work experience opportunities by 2029.

BRC represents a wide range of retail employers across the UK, and young people across the country will benefit from opportunities created through this partnership. The opportunities available in individual areas will depend on participating employers' business needs and local presence.

Work Experience is available to all claimants throughout their claim. Young jobseekers will be offered a work experience placement as part of their Youth Guarantee Journey which may include referrals to Opening Shift opportunities, where these are available and appropriate for the individual.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced an ambition to create 100,000 new jobs in the retail sector for young people by 2029, supporting more young people to take their first step into work. This is a significant commitment from one of the UK's largest employment sectors and an important contribution towards the Government's ambition that every young person has the opportunity to build the skills, experience and connections needed to move into work.

As part of this ambition, BRC is launching 'Opening Shift' a new joint DWP and BRC work experience programme for 18–24 year old jobseekers. ‘Opening Shift’ will provide retail work experience, workplace support and interview experience, helping young people to build skills, confidence and experience employers are looking for.

The commitment complements the Government's Youth Guarantee, which is backed by £2.5 billion of additional investment and will ensure young people can access the support, training, work experience and opportunities they need to move into employment, education or training. ‘Opening Shift’ will play an important role in helping deliver the Youth Guarantee's commitment to provide 150,000 work experience opportunities by 2029.

BRC represents a wide range of retail employers across the UK, and young people across the country will benefit from opportunities created through this partnership. The opportunities available in individual areas will depend on participating employers' business needs and local presence.

Work Experience is available to all claimants throughout their claim. Young jobseekers will be offered a work experience placement as part of their Youth Guarantee Journey which may include referrals to Opening Shift opportunities, where these are available and appropriate for the individual.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced an ambition to create 100,000 new jobs in the retail sector for young people by 2029, supporting more young people to take their first step into work. This is a significant commitment from one of the UK's largest employment sectors and an important contribution towards the Government's ambition that every young person has the opportunity to build the skills, experience and connections needed to move into work.

As part of this ambition, BRC is launching 'Opening Shift' a new joint DWP and BRC work experience programme for 18–24 year old jobseekers. ‘Opening Shift’ will provide retail work experience, workplace support and interview experience, helping young people to build skills, confidence and experience employers are looking for.

The commitment complements the Government's Youth Guarantee, which is backed by £2.5 billion of additional investment and will ensure young people can access the support, training, work experience and opportunities they need to move into employment, education or training. ‘Opening Shift’ will play an important role in helping deliver the Youth Guarantee's commitment to provide 150,000 work experience opportunities by 2029.

BRC represents a wide range of retail employers across the UK, and young people across the country will benefit from opportunities created through this partnership. The opportunities available in individual areas will depend on participating employers' business needs and local presence.

Work Experience is available to all claimants throughout their claim. Young jobseekers will be offered a work experience placement as part of their Youth Guarantee Journey which may include referrals to Opening Shift opportunities, where these are available and appropriate for the individual.

As set out in paragraph ST26.2. of Appendix Student of the Immigration Rules, Students are permitted to undertake work related to a work placement, which is assessed as an integral part of the course of study which they are following.

Limitations apply to the proportion of the total length of course which can be made up by the work placement and to the type of student sponsor permitted to offer courses below degree level which contain work placements. There are no limitations to students’ eligibility to undertake work placements in relation to whether their permission conveys the right to work.