The youth guarantee aims to reduce the number of youths out of employment and address the skills shortages across key sectors.
The introduction of Rachel Reeves’ ‘youth guarantee’ comes at a time when questions remain over how it will deliver real opportunities for those struggling to get a foothold in work or further studies.
The scheme promises every 18-21 year old access to training, education or a job.
Ministers say it will give a clear pathway into work and prevent them from “becoming lost to the system” after leaving education.
NEET which describes ‘not in education, employment or training’ is at a rate of 5.3% across Yorkshire and Humberside, which is ‘slightly higher’ than the English average at 4.7%.
Source: Philippa PlattEighteen-year-old Milly Kelly from Cross Gates knows those challenges all too well. After leaving school, she enrolled on a hair and beauty course at Leeds City college.
Kelly says she was “determined” to build a career in the industry she loves. But without a pass in her GCSE maths, she found doors to apprenticeship and full time work limited.
Kelly resat her maths GCSE for the third time in June 2025, “Ive done everything they’ve asked. I know I have the practical skills and I really put alot of effort in, but without that one maths grade there are very few places that will let me move to the next stage.”
For now, Kelly helps at a local hairdressers, Hair and Glitz in Harehills, they expressed how they wish they had ‘more funding’ to help Kelly through her qualifications.
Milly Kellys experience reflects a wider problem across Leeds, where many young people find themselves stuck between education and employment.
According to the council data above, those 18-21 year old are often without education because they lack key qualifications or access to work placements.
The governments new youth guarantee, launched ahead of Novembers budget, suggests that “hard work should be matched with fair reward.”
Meaning that the scheme should help tackle skill shortages and give people a clear route into work.
However, there is warning that the policy will only succeed if its backed by the correct funding to the needs of each community.
Source: Philippa Platt | All Rights ReservedFor Alysha Hibbitt, 21, who graduated from her creative arts degree at Leeds Beckett University in summer, the challenges look different but still feel the same.
After years of study, Hibbitt says she found “few paid opportunities” and that most entry roles were “unpaid internships or based outside of Leeds”
Since graduating, Hibbitt has had to continue working her part time, “its rubbish that after 4 years at higher education I have had to stick with my part time job… I came out with a great final result- but there is just no progression. If I knew then what I know now maybe I’d have chosen a degree with better job opportunities.”
In the instance of Hibbitt, her experiences reflects how the youth guarantee will support graduates facing limited job prospects in cities like Leeds, where creative industries are thriving but jobs still remain sparse.
Local officials say initiatives like the youth guarantee could help address the barriers faced by young people across the city.
Across Leeds, training providers, colleges and those at the receiving end of the scheme hope that the ‘youth guarantee’ will offer more flexibility for those who don’t fit traditional education routes.
For Milly and Alysha the promise of a guarantee offers some hope, a hope that can turn their ambitions into an opportunity.
Source: Philippa Platt | All Rights Reserved
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