The government has announced a radical overhaul of youth employment support, borrowing from the Dutch ‘no dead ends’ model that guarantees training, education or work for every young person. For years, campaigners have pointed to the Netherlands’ low youth jobless rate of 6.4% against the UK’s 11.
8%. Under the new policy, 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit will be offered a personalised plan within weeks of signing on, with sanctions for those who refuse. Unions have cautiously welcomed the move but warn that without real job creation, it risks becoming a tick-box exercise.
Janet Burnley, 19, from Manchester, told me: ‘I’ve been on the dole for eight months after my apprenticeship fell through. If this means proper retraining, not just CV workshops, I’m all for it.’ The success of the Dutch model lies in its early intervention and partnership with employers.
Yet the UK’s track record on schemes like the Youth Contract gives pause. In the North, where youth unemployment is double the London rate, the policy must deliver more than promises. The test will be whether this time, the ladder to work is genuinely without barriers.
