Far too many young people are neither earning nor learning and the numbers are rising, having a negative impact on their long-term career prospects and life chances.

The Government’s introduction of a Youth Guarantee in England is a good step in the right direction, but it will need a laser-like focus on delivery and greater investment to improve opportunities. Updating its flagship Youth Opportunity Index, Learning and Work Institute reveals that progress towards the Labour Government’s mission to “break down barriers to opportunity” still depends on where a young person lives. Talent is evenly distributed in our country, but opportunity isn’t. The Youth Guarantee needs to change this.

This Learning and Work Institute webinar explored the findings of our recent research and new data from our Youth Opportunity Index. It focused on how a Youth Guarantee can help the UK to reduce its NEET rate, and support young people to bridge the gap to education and employment. We will hear key insights from Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, one of the Government’s eight Youth Guarantee trailblazer areas. With other contributions from the Youth Futures Foundation and young people, we discussed how a Youth Guarantee can be successfully implemented.

Speakers:

  • Stephen Evans, Chief Executive, L&W
  • Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands
  • Sarah Yong, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Youth Futures Foundation
  • Zoya and Jayden, members of Youth Futures Foundation’s Future Voices Group

18 June 2026

Labour Market Briefing: June 2026

Our analysis of the ONS labour market statistics, released on the morning of 18 June 2026.

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18 June 2026

Labour market stats response, June 2026

L&W’s chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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17 June 2026

Evaluation of Central London Forward’s Youth Guarantee Trailblazer 

Learning and Work Institute has evaluated the first year of delivery of Full Potential, the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer delivered by Central London Forward.

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9 June 2026

Innovative, “hyper-local” approach to employment support completes two years

An innovative employment support pilot spanning Medway to Merseyside has shown promise reaching social housing residents who are out of work but do not typically access mainstream support.

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9 June 2026

Final report: Evaluation of the JobsPlus Pilot

This evaluation of JobsPlus builds on the interim findings published in September 2025 to provide evidence on whether the model can be adapted to the UK context and effectively implemented to improve employment outcomes.  

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28 May 2026

Responding to the interim report of the Milburn review

L&W chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the interim report from the Milburn review on Thursday 28 May 2026.

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19 May 2026

Labour Market Briefing: May 2026

Our analysis of the ONS labour market statistics, released on the morning of 19 May 2026.

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19 May 2026

Labour market dashboard

Every month, Learning and Work Institute produces detailed and timely analysis of the latest labour market statistics from ONS. Explore our interactive charts.

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19 May 2026

Labour market stats response, May 2026

L&W’s chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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