STORY
Businesses can now apply for a new Youth Jobs Grant worth £3,000 for every eligible young person they hire. The Department for Work and Pensions said the scheme would support people aged 18 to 24 who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for six months.
The funding will be paid in two instalments after employment and earnings are verified. Ministers said the programme could help up to 60,000 young people over three years and would sit alongside more intensive jobcentre support for almost one million young people.
Merlin Entertainments has been named as an early backer of the scheme and is expected to offer 300 jobs for young people over the next three years. The Government said the initiative formed part of its Youth Guarantee and wider attempt to improve opportunity for young people.