• Landmark programme to support thousands of 18-21-year-olds into education, work and training officially launches in Liverpool City Region.
• Marks major win in the Government’s Youth Guarantee to ensure all young people have the chance to upskill, earn or learn.
• Comes as part of the Government’s Plan for Change to drive growth and break down barriers to opportunity by helping people into work.

Photo by Peter Powell. Mayor Steve Rotheram welcomes Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall to a jobs fair at Anfield.

Mayor Steve Rotheram joined the Work and Pensions Secretary to launch a new £45 million scheme to give thousands of young people targeted support into work.

The Youth Guarantee trailblazers will match young people to job or training opportunities and will provide all-important foundations for the national roll-out of the programme, ensuring all 18–21-year-olds in England can access help to find work – breaking down barriers to opportunity as part of the Plan for Change.

The trailblazers will play a key role in helping the government understand which local structures are most effective and in identifying the organisations best placed to deliver targeted support.

They will also develop innovative ways to identify, engage and sustain contact with young people most at risk of falling out of education, employment or training.

It comes as new ONS figures published today (23 May) will reveal the number of young people not in education, employment or training, with the current figure standing at 987,000.

Liverpool City Region is one of eight areas across England set to receive a £5 million investment into work with 18-21-year-olds most at risk of falling out of education or employment.

In its first year, the City Region aims to support tens of thousands of young people. Within this, the trailblazer will focus on vulnerable young people often facing the most complex barriers, including care leavers, nearly 40 per cent of whom are not in employment, education or training.

They will receive a range of support including work and training opportunities, free travel passes, mental health support and money advice.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:

“Young people are our future – and yet for too long they have been denied access to the opportunities and support they need.

“At Liverpool FC, the home of champions, we are championing young people to get the skills, education and jobs they require to achieve their ambitions.

“We are investing £45 million – including almost £5m here in Liverpool – to deliver our Youth Guarantee, so every young person across England gets the chance to earn or learn, as we boost living standards and get Britain working under the Plan for Change.”

Further to this, Liverpool will work with over 600 employers to develop tailored roles and placements, and through the region’s BeMore portal which brings career and skills advice straight into your pocket. A panel made up of young people to ensure they are at the heart of decision making will also be set up.

The city region has already had success in tailoring support to meet the needs of young people, including:

• Ethan who has cerebral palsy and had just finished university with no work experience. With the help of Liverpool, including support with housing, mental health and navigating familial challenges, Ethan gained part-time experience as a youth support worker and has since been offered a job with the Civil Service.
• Luke who felt he was in a black hole searching for jobs but not being successful. He has since received an apprenticeship levy from Liverpool which meant he was able to do his Level 4 Marketing apprenticeship and now works in Product & Operations Market at Liverpool Football Club.
• Ellie who decided to explore new career paths following mental health challenges. Through engaging with Liverpool, she was provided with a laptop in order to join the Movement to Work programme and has since been offered a job at the DWP.

Photo by Peter Powell. Mayor Steve Rotheram with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall as she visits Anfield for a jobs fair.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram said:

“When I travel across our region, I feel fortunate to meet some of the best and brightest young people in the country. But for too long, too many of them have been held back from getting on in life, not because of a lack of talent, but by a lack of opportunity – and I have made it my mission to put that right.

“It’s because of the investments we’ve made, through initiatives like my Young Person’s Guarantee and BeMore, that we’ve been able to connect tens of thousands of people in our area with jobs and training opportunities. Now, backed by the government’s Plan for Change, we can go even further, giving even more young people the best possible start in life.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

“Through our Plan for Change we are breaking down barriers to opportunity so every young person can get on in life, regardless of their background.

“The Youth Guarantee is a genuine game changer for young people in England. I’m delighted Liverpool is leading the way as one of our trailblazers – ensuring every young person has support to develop essential skills for work and life at the critical early stage of their careers.

“Every young person deserves the best life chances — and we won’t stop until everyone has a level playing field to succeed.”

Photo by Peter Powell. Mayor Steve Rotheram with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall as she visits Anfield jobs fair.

Liz Kendall and Mayor Steve Rotheram unveiled the landmark programme at a careers fair in partnership with key Youth Guarantee partner, the Premier League.

Hosted at Anfield, three days before the champions lift the Premier League Trophy, around 700 18-21-year-olds attended with opportunities on offer from around 40 employers – including Liverpool FC Foundation, Everton in the Community, John Lewis, and Google.

Clare Sumner, chief policy and social impact officer at the Premier League, said:

“The Premier League and our clubs continue to support young people across the country with a range of positive opportunities that help them build self-confidence and fulfil their potential.

“The jobs fair at Anfield is the latest initiative supporting those who need it most in clubs’ local communities, and we will continue to work with Government to deliver similar events as part of the Youth Guarantee.”

The programme comes alongside an unprecedented £1 billion investment to support disabled people and those with long-term health conditions back into work, as well as major reforms to jobcentres to better align their services with the needs of employers.

Two youth trailblazers have already launched in London with more beginning to start work in the West of England, Tees Valley, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, West Midlands, and East Midlands

As well as this, nine inactivity trailblazers backed by £125 million have been rolled out across England and Wales. These programmes will help areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity by connecting work, health and skills offers.

Richard Rigby, Head of UK Government Affairs at The King’s Trust said:

“With almost one million young people across the UK waking up today with no job, no training, and no education to go to, the prominence being given to developing a Youth Guarantee is not only very welcome, but absolutely vital.

“Young people’s futures are worth fighting for. By getting behind them, we can all help to make the UK a healthier, wealthier, more positive, more cohesive place. The King’s Trust looks forward to working with local areas, including Liverpool City Region, to understand how we can help to deliver the Guarantee.”

This comes as Government has, for the first time, linked immigration policy to our plan to deliver a higher skilled economy that backs British workers.

Alongside boosting the National Living Wage, we are also creating more secure jobs through the Employment Rights Bill and overhauling jobcentres as we Get Britain Working as part of the Plan for Change.