Blog

Investing in the next generation

23 Mar. 2026

By-lined by Simon Smithson, Youth Director

The Government’s renewed focus on unlocking 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for the next generation comes at a critical moment for young people across the UK. For many, the path into employment is evolving as we see rapid technological change, disrupted education pathways, and labour market conditions being affected. That’s why the announcement is both welcome and essential: it signals a national commitment to investing in young people’s futures and ensuring they have meaningful opportunities to thrive as contributing members of society. 

Our youth mission is grounded in the belief that young people achieve their best when they are given space to explore their potential, build practical skills, and grow in confidence, with a motivation to improve the world around them. 

As apprenticeship starts among young people have fallen by 40% over the last decade, we know more opportunities need to be created to allow young people to access skills and get into work. Creating 200,000 new roles is not just about plugging labour gaps, it’s about: 

• Opening doors for young people who feel shut out of the labour market 
• Supporting transitions from education into employment 
• Building confidence and motivation, not just CVs 
• Ensuring employers can access the diverse talent they need for the future 
• Providing support for SMEs to be able to offer opportunities to young people

We know from our 25 years of delivering programmes for young people - including NEETs and National Citizen Service, and more than 18,000 people last year – that young people thrive with the right combination of opportunity and support. The Government’s initiative can provide the structural opportunities, while organisations like Ingeus ensure young people are ready, inspired, and supported to step into them. 

Throughout our years of delivering services to help people through employment, we’ve seen first-hand how much more employment is for a person than just the pay. It has a ripple effect into all areas of their life and who they are. Building their sense of self, providing purpose and structure, security. Unlocking social experiences and connection. Securing a job opens someone’s world and young people should be encouraged and supported on these pathways. Young people bring energy, creativity, and new ways of thinking that our economy needs.  

Recently, we began delivery of Change 100, which supports talented disabled students and graduates to access high-quality paid internships, employment, mentoring, and development opportunities. While Change 100 is not exclusively a youth programme, many candidates are young adults at the beginning of their careers - and the programme speaks directly to the spirit of widening opportunity, improving equity, and helping employers to access a broader and more diverse talent pipeline. 

What we know from supporting thousands of young people each year is that securing a job is rarely just about securing a job. It is about overcoming barriers, understanding strengths, building self-belief, and feeling part of something. Those elements matter just as much as the roles being created. We also know the important role the employer plays, as well as the rest of their workforce, creating an environment that is inclusive and able to support young people as they start their careers.  

This is why announcements like today’s matter so much. Large-scale job creation schemes work best when they’re paired with programmes that help young people understand who they are, what they want, and how to navigate the world of work – including the training and opportunities they will continually need to grow their career. 

This renewed focus on helping young people gives us the chance to amplify that impact on a national scale. With strong partnerships and a shared commitment to youth opportunity, we can endeavour to support this next generation to not only find work, but find their voice, their confidence, and their future.