Bars, clubs and restaurants are set to create up to 100,000 job placements for young people aged 18 to 24 who are not in employment, education or training. The three-year initiative, backed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), aims to give participants workplace experience and help them move towards employment.
Major Hospitality Brands Join The Scheme
Businesses including Wagamama, Nando’s, Burger King, Premier Inn, Fuller’s and Mitchells & Butlers are taking part. Participants will be able to take placements lasting up to four weeks, with the programme designed to build workplace skills and confidence.
The initiative is due to be launched by Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a visit to a hospitality venue.
Up To 100,000 Jobs Planned Over Three Years
The programme is aimed at young people classified as Neet, meaning they are not in employment, education or training. The government says the hospitality sector can give participants an initial experience of working life and a route towards longer-term employment.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the scheme would help young people “get their first step on the ladder” and develop their careers. He also pointed to the UK’s employment rate, which he said is now the second highest in the G7.
Youth Unemployment Could Reach 1.25 Million
The initiative comes ahead of a report by former health secretary Alan Milburn on youth unemployment. Milburn has warned that the number of young people not in employment or education could reach 1.25 million over the next five years without further government action.
His full review is expected shortly after the Autumn Budget on October 28. The report is expected to contain recommendations on employment support, training and apprenticeships.
Retailers Have Already Joined A Similar Programme
The hospitality scheme follows a similar initiative launched with major retailers. Businesses including Marks & Spencer, Asda, Pets at Home and the John Lewis Partnership have already joined a programme backed by the DWP.
That initiative also seeks to give young people workplace experience and a route into employment. The expansion into hospitality brings another large group of employers into the government’s youth employment programme.
School Absence Is Also Under Review
Education Secretary Lucy Powell is expected to announce a review of school exclusion policies. The move follows research indicating that students who are persistently absent from school are almost four times more likely to become unemployed and not be in education or training.
The consultation will seek views on ways to support pupils at risk of exclusion, strengthen their connection with the classroom and help them remain engaged with education. Powell said absence and exclusion could lead to disengagement and increase the risk of young people becoming Neet.
Welfare Reform Is Part Of The Wider Debate
The hospitality programme is being introduced alongside wider discussions about welfare reform. Milburn has called for changes to the benefits system alongside stronger employment support, training and apprenticeships.
Ministers are also considering changes to disability benefits for people under 25, with a potential package of employment support replacing some existing arrangements. The government is under pressure to control rising welfare spending while increasing the number of young people entering work.
Apprenticeships Could Play A Bigger Part
Milburn has previously called for a national apprenticeship readiness scheme in England. The idea would help young people move from school towards apprenticeships and employment.
His review is expected to examine the gap between leaving education and entering the workplace, as well as the support available to young people who struggle to make that transition.
Government Faces Pressure From Both Sides
The government’s welfare plans have attracted pressure from opposition parties and concerns within Labour. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for welfare spending cuts and argued that savings should help finance higher defence spending.
Ministers also remain conscious of the Labour rebellion that previously forced changes to welfare legislation. The new employment programme therefore comes at a politically sensitive time, with the government seeking to increase employment among young people while facing questions about spending on benefits.
Young People To Gain Workplace Experience
The hospitality initiative is intended to give up to 100,000 young people a chance to experience working life over the next three years.
With major restaurant, hotel and pub businesses taking part, the programme is expected to form part of a wider government effort to tackle youth unemployment through jobs, training and apprenticeships.
The findings of Milburn’s review and the government’s decisions following the October Budget will shape the next stage of its approach to young people outside employment and education.
