Ending Long-Term Youth Unemployment: What Rachel Reeves’ New Plans Mean for Young People
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A Bold Promise to Young People
In her speech at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans for the “abolition of long-term youth unemployment.” The policy will see every young person who has been unemployed for 18 months guaranteed a paid work placement.
Refusal to take up the offer, without good reason, could see young people stripped of their benefits.
The aim, Reeves explained, is to ensure no young person is left behind without skills, opportunities, or a pathway into work.
It builds on Labour’s existing “youth guarantee,” which promises every 18–21 year old access to apprenticeships, training, education, or job support.
The Scale of the Challenge
Right now, an estimated 948,000 young people aged 16–24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET). That’s one in eight.
Numbers peaked at 987,000 at the end of last year — the highest for 11 years.
Behind these statistics are real lives, like Luis, one of our Community Youth Voice Ambassadors at Genuine Futures. Luis struggled to find work after leaving college, applying for job after job without so much as a reply. His mum, Shelly, told us:
“He joined college and again, young adults get left high and dry. He applied for jobs left, right, and centre — doesn’t get anywhere, doesn’t even get feedback. So when we heard about the programme and he joined it, just his confidence alone from what he’s doing now has gone through the roof. He feels like he belongs somewhere. Before, it was all just grey — now he can see a future.”
Why This Matters
Policies like the one announced by Reeves matter because they signal a commitment to treat youth unemployment as urgent and unacceptable. But they also raise a big question:
What will these placements look like? Will they give young people more than just short-term work?
At Genuine Futures, we believe it’s not enough to provide placements alone. Young people need support, mentoring, and belonging alongside practical opportunities.
What Genuine Futures is Doing
At the Young Futures Hub in Bolton, in partnership with The Scrappers, we’ve already shown what’s possible:
- We Shine Any Car – our youth-led car wash and vehicle maintenance enterprise, where young people gain hands-on skills, teamwork, and confidence.
- Boss Your Future Programme – supporting NEET, SEND, and care-experienced young people with coaching, digital skills, enterprise training, and pathways into work.
- Restore Young Futures – alternative provision for 12–15-year-olds at risk of exclusion, offering therapeutic activities, mentoring, and enterprise to build resilience.
Since 2024, more than 40 young people have gone through these programmes. Many have gone on to college, started micro-businesses, or entered full-time employment.
Our Message to Government
The government sees Young Futures Hubs as central to tackling youth violence and supporting disenfranchised young people into education, training, volunteering, or work.
We agree. But for this to succeed, local, lived-experience organisations like Genuine Futures must be at the table. We’ve built trust with young people, schools, and communities because we’ve walked in their shoes — and that lived experience is vital in shaping real solutions.
Final Word
Rachel Reeves’ pledge is bold and welcome. But success won’t come from policy alone — it will come from partnerships that bridge opportunity, empower youth, and build futures.
That’s what we do every day in Bolton. And that’s what we’ll keep doing, with or without big announcements.
Because as Shelly reminded us when she spoke about Luis: sometimes all it takes is belonging, belief, and opportunity for a young person’s future to change from grey to bright.
Support our work: We Shine Any Car Fundraising Campaign
Learn more about our programmes: genuinefutures.co.uk
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. We’re here to bridge the gap.