STORY
The Government has announced plans to roll out Dutch-style employment support across Britain as part of efforts to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training. The Department for Work and Pensions said almost 180 Youth Hubs would begin opening from next week.
The hubs are intended to bring education, welfare and employment support together in one place. The Government said the programme had been informed by the Dutch Jongerenpunt model, which provides integrated support for young people and has been linked by ministers to the Netherlands’ lower NEET rate.
The Work and Pensions Secretary said the Government wanted to build a system in which inactivity was a last resort. The announcement comes as ministers seek to expand localised employment support and increase access to work-study pathways, employer partnerships and apprenticeships.