Responding to DWP’s announcement on Youth Hubs

Responding to DWP’s announcement on Youth Hubs on 24 September 2025, Sam Avanzo Windett, deputy director at Learning and Work Institute, said:

“With nearly a million young people not currently earning or learning, further investment in the Government’s Youth Hubs network is welcome. In England, we know that fewer than one in four young people not in education, employment or training are getting help to move into work and around half are not claiming benefits and risk missing out on support altogether. Youth Hubs co-locate services, making it easier for young people to access the support they need to find and sustain work. Using football clubs and other accessible community settings can help overcome the associated stigma that deters many young people from engaging with Jobcentre Plus.

Using a standardised Youth Hubs model will hopefully start to address the fact that where a young people lives matters, with wide variations across the country in the numbers of young people claiming benefits and assessed as too ill to work.

The forthcoming Budget must make further commitments to creating an effective journey of support for young people, including a guaranteed work placement for those who need the most help. Engaging and offering more young people help to find a job or improve their skills is essential for young people, employers and to help reach the Government’s aim for an 80% employment rate.”