Youth Contract – key initiatives

Voluntary work experience

Extra voluntary work experience places will be available across Great Britain over the next 3 years ensuring there is an offer of a place for every 18 to 24 year-old who wants one, before they enter the Work Programme.

Could you offer voluntary work experience? (392KB)

Sector-based work academies

Extra places will be available in England and Scotland over the next three years, ensuring there is an offer of a place for every 18 to 24 year-old who wants one, before they enter the Work Programme.

Sector-based work academies – a guide (320KB)
Sector-based work academies Scotland – a guide (www.business.scotland.gov.uk)

Wage incentives

From 2 April 2012 wage incentives worth up to £2,275 each, will be available for employers who can offer an 18 to 24 year-old from the Government’s Work Programme, a job lasting at least 26 weeks.

The wage incentive will be available if you employ someone for 16 hours or more each week. There will be a part-time rate of £1,137.50 for work between 16 and 29 hours and a full time rate of £2,275 for 30 hours or more. This will be paid 26 weeks after the employee starts work. Small businesses (less than 50 employees) can also claim a part payment 8 weeks after the employee starts work.

Wage incentives will be primarily available to private, voluntary and community sectors and social enterprise employers. Central government departments, their executive agencies and NDPB’s will be excluded from claiming them, but the wider public sector such as NHS trusts, will not.

What do I need to do to find out more about wage incentives?

If you are an employer who is interested in employing an 18 to 24 year old with support from a wage incentive payment you should register your interest with local Work Programme providers.

Local Work Programme providers

Apprenticeship wage incentives

Further wage incentives are available to support new apprenticeship pathways for 16-24 year olds in England only and encourage small employers, who have not previously taken on apprentices to benefit from the Apprenticeship programme.

Employer incentive (age 16 to 24) (www.apprenticeships.org.uk)

Apprenticeships

National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) in England and its website will provide you with more information and guide you through the steps of setting up an Apprenticeship in their programme.

www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Each UK nation operates its own Apprenticeship programme and Scottish Government offers a wide range of support for young people in Scotland.

For information on the Modern Apprenticeship programme in Scotland, contact Skills Development Scotland (SDS) helpline on 0800 783 6000 or visit –

Modern Apprenticeship programme (www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk)

Businesses can also get up to £2,000 when they employ a young apprentice, or take on individuals who have gone through one of SDS's pre-employment programmes, or have experienced some barriers to work in the past.

Employer Recruitment Incentive in Scotland (www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk)

Although not part of the recently announced Youth Contract a wide range of Welsh Government support exists for young people in Wales including a comprehensive Apprenticeship offer.

Apprenticeships in Wales

Support for disengaged 16 to 17 year olds in England

The Government will invest £126 million over the next three years to support young people aged 16 to 17 who are not in education, employment or training in England.

The Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) are running an open competition for organisations from all sectors to lead this programme on a regional or sub-regional basis. Organisations will be given complete freedom to design and tailor a programme of support to help them move into full-time education, an Apprenticeship or a job with training. They will receive payment by results depending on how successful they are at helping young people to make a sustainable move into a positive outcome.

The specification and information for bidders are available on Contracts Finder at:

www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk

Further information is also available from the Department of Education website:

Youth Contract provision for disengaged 16 to 17 year olds

Read the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement in full –

Radical new approach to defuse "ticking time bomb" of NEETs

Education and training are devolved policy areas. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive separate funding from HM Treasury and they will decide how best to use this additional funding in their respective countries.

We will publish more information here as it becomes available