The UK government has announced an additional £45 million to extend the Youth Guarantee trailblazer programme for a further year, aimed at reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
The scheme, which launched in spring 2025, operates in eight combined authority areas including London, Liverpool, the West Midlands, Tees Valley, the East Midlands, West of England, and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. Each area has received around £5 million to design place-based approaches offering personal advisers, tailored careers coaching, and support such as devices and travel passes.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 948,000 young people are currently classed as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), representing almost 1 in 8 of those aged 16 to 24. The number has risen 27% since 2019, with regional disparities ranging from 8.5% in the South East to 15.8% in the North East.
Announcing the extension, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “This Government will not stand by while so many young people are not in education or training — robbing them of their potential and our country of its future. The extra £45 million in funding I have announced today will help us ensure that no young person will be left behind and that everyone has the chance to succeed.”
Alongside the funding, ministers confirmed £88 million for youth services and £100 million to train 40,000 young people in construction. The measures are part of the wider Get Britain Working strategy set out in the government’s recent white paper.
However, experts argue that more ambitious reforms are needed. “We welcome the announcement that the Youth Guarantee trailblazer scheme will be extended by another year with an additional investment of £45 million, but bolder action is required,” stated Lizzie Crowley, senior skills adviser at the CIPD.
“The latest NEET figures show no improvement, with stubbornly high numbers persisting. The government should urgently revisit the case for an Apprenticeship Guarantee, ensuring every young person has a clear pathway into a high quality, employer-backed apprenticeship opportunity. The case for stronger action to support the training and employment of young people is further underlined in light of measures to be introduced in the Employment Rights Bill, which could mean employers are less likely to take a chance on young workers with limited experience and more development needs.”
The trailblazer pilots were due to conclude in March 2026 but will now continue until March 2027, with evaluation planned before any national roll-out. Policymakers see the initiative as a test bed for locally driven solutions, though with youth inactivity rates unmoved, the debate over more structural interventions such as an apprenticeship guarantee is likely to intensify.
