A major new initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment has been launched in the Liverpool City Region, as Mayor Steve Rotheram joined the Work and Pensions Secretary to unveil a £45 million Youth Guarantee scheme.
The programme will provide targeted support to thousands of 18–21-year-olds, helping them into work, training, or education.
The Liverpool City Region is one of eight trailblazer areas across England selected to pilot the scheme, receiving £5 million to support young people most at risk of falling out of education or employment. The initiative is part of the government’s wider Plan for Change, designed to break down barriers to opportunity and reduce economic inactivity.
The trailblazer will focus on vulnerable groups, including care leavers, nearly 40% of whom are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The programme will offer:
- Tailored job and training opportunities
- Free travel passes
- Mental health support
- Financial and money advice
A youth-led advisory panel will also be established to ensure young people are at the heart of decision-making.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, 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.”
Over 600 local employers will collaborate with the scheme to create customised roles and placements. The region’s BeMore portal will be a key tool, offering career and skills advice directly to young people via mobile.
The Liverpool trailblazer is part of a broader national effort, with similar schemes already underway in London, the West Midlands, Tees Valley, and other regions. Alongside this, the government is investing £1 billion to support disabled people and those with long-term health conditions back into work, and reforming jobcentres to better align with employer needs.
The launch coincides with new ONS figures showing 987,000 young people in the UK are currently NEET, underlining the urgency of the initiative.
Image credit: iStock
