Thanks to Frances McKie, once more for noting and researching this one.

BBC Radio 4 Today this morning have been discussing today, the GOV.UK publication of:

A major youth employment drive backed by £1 billion will help create 200,000 jobs for young people, alongside the biggest transformation of apprenticeships in a decade. It comes as apprenticeships starts amongst young people are down 40 percent in the last decade and almost one million young people are not earning or learning – a rise of 248,000 between 2021-2024.

To be announced today (Monday) in a speech by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden at Waltham Forest College today, a “New Deal” for young people includes: A new Youth Jobs Grant, through which businesses will receive £3,000 for every young person they hire aged 18-24 who has been on UC and looking for work for six months. This is expected to support 60,000 young people over three years. Expansion of the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs.

This brings the total to be supported through the scheme to over 90,000 in the next three years. An Apprenticeship Incentive of £2,000 for each new employee aged 16-24 taken on by an SME. As part of wider reforms, this will drive progress to our target of creating 50,000 more apprenticeships. Further reforms to the Growth and Skills Levy to prioritise young apprentices, secure value for money and give school and college leavers more opportunities than ever to build careers in cutting edge industries.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-employment-drive-to-help-unlock-200000-new-jobs-and-apprenticeships-for-next-generation

Unsurprisingly, though endlessly disappointing, Radio 4 Today did not think to look north.

Here’s what they would have found in Scotland:

95.7 per cent of 2024-25 school leavers were in a positive destination three months after the end of the school year. This is the same as last year (2023-24) and the second highest figure (alongside 2021-22) since 2009-10. Positive destinations include higher education, further education, employment, training, personal skills development and voluntary work.

https://www.gov.scot/news/school-leaver-attainment-and-destinations-9/

Remember, this initiative is driven by worsening youth unemployment in England.

How does it compare?

UK unemployment 40% higher, youth unemployment 40% higher than in Scotland, BBC Scotland ‘disappear’ the good news again