Every eligible 18 to 24-year-old will be “guaranteed” a fully-funded, six-month job matched to their skills after 12 months on universal credit – down from the current 18 months, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
asserted
Department → guarantee → Work
Under the scheme, which will be rolled out nationwide from the end of November, the Government funds up to 25 hours of paid work a week at the relevant minimum wage.
asserted
Government → roll → wage
The reduction in the length of time a benefit claimant waits before becoming eligible for the programme will come into force in April next year, officials said.
asserted
officials → wait → April
It comes after the author of a major forthcoming report on tackling the rise in youth unemployment said they deserve a legal “guarantee” of a route into work.
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they → come → work
Alan Milburn, whose recommendations will be published on Tuesday, told the BBC that the Government should have a duty to ensure young people have access to either training, work or employment support.
asserted
people → publish → training
He suggested this might work similarly to the way that local councils have a legal responsibility to offer accommodation or advice to the homeless, or accommodate children in care.
uncertain
councils → suggest → care
The DWP’s existing scheme is called the “jobs guarantee” but does not include a legal duty.
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scheme → exist → duty
Officials have said funding for the programme comes from the Government’s wider £2.5 billion employment support package.
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funding → say → package
Mr Milburn’s review will make a number of recommendations on how to curb the number of Neets – 18 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training – which topped a million earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade.
asserted
which → make → decade
He is expected to call for under-25s to no longer be able to claim the health element of universal credit or personal independence payments, moving them instead to a “youth allowance”, paid at the same level as the standard rate of universal credit.
uncertain
under-25s → expect → credit
Some Labour MPs – who last year pressured Sir Keir Starmer’s government to water down proposed welfare cuts – have voiced concerns over the extent of future support after Mr Milburn suggested some could receive fewer benefits.
uncertain
some → pressure → benefits
Ahead of its publication, Andy Burnham has described the report as a “watershed moment” but stopped short of committing to implementing its recommendations in full.
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Burnham → describe → recommendations
The Prime Minister also insisted paying for the reforms would not mean “more money” but “spending differently” in Government when pressed on the large upfront investment they are expected to require.
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they → insist → investment
“Many employers, large and small, want to give people a chance and make the adjustments needed,” he told the Telegraph.
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he → want → Telegraph
He said his department had also signed a deal with the Tourism Alliance, the trade body for the UK visitor economy, aimed at creating 50,000 jobs for Neets in this Parliament, with work experience as a way into those jobs.
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department → say → jobs
Announcing the expansion of the youth jobs scheme, Mr McFadden said: “The longer someone is out of work, the harder it is to get back in, and no young person should be left waiting on a scrapheap for an opportunity.
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person → announce → opportunity
“That is why we are expanding our guaranteed jobs scheme across Great Britain and bringing it forward, so that help arrives when it matters most.
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it → expand → it
“Employers are crying out for talent and there is a generation of talent ready to be unleashed.
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Employers → cry → talent
We are backing them with the support they need to build a fulfilling future.”
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they → back → future
The Tories said the test of Mr Milburn’s review would be whether it paves the way for “real jobs”, arguing that “shuffling more young people onto subsidised placements will not solve the underlying problem”.
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shuffling → say → problem
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “The Government is making it harder for businesses to take people on, then bringing in schemes to deal with the consequences.
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businesses → say → consequences
“Our rescue mission for young people will create the jobs they need by halving the jobs tax, cutting business rates for 250,000 high street businesses and generating 100,000 apprenticeships a year.
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they → create → apprenticeships
“Alan Milburn is right that the system needs to change.
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system → need → ?
We’ve found £36 billion in welfare savings and will support the reforms that genuinely help people.
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that → find → people
“But young people do not need another Government scheme that leaves them waiting.
asserted
that → need → them
They need businesses in the private sector to have the confidence to create jobs and give them a first chance.”
asserted
businesses → need → chance
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the expansion showed that Labour was “treating the symptoms of its youth unemployment crisis rather than tackling the causes”.
asserted
Labour → say → causes
“Young people deserve real support to get themselves onto the career ladder, not another government-funded waiting room,” she said.
asserted
she → deserve → ladder
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