Youth Offer Process Evaluation

Announced in 2020, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)’s ‘Youth Offer’ is part of the ‘Plan for Jobs’, a strategic response launched by DWP into the unemployment impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Youth Offer was initially for Universal Credit customers aged 18 to 24, in the Intensive Work Search Regime and was extended to customers aged 16 and 17 from 1 December 2021. The Youth Offer is made up of 3 strands: the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Hubs, and Youth Employability Coaches.

All Youth Offer customers are first enrolled in the Youth Employment Programme which aims to help 16 to 24-year-olds prepare for and gain paid employment. This 13-week program includes support from DWP work coaches with CV development, online job-searching, identifying potential training needs, and exploring barriers to work-based opportunities.

Youth Hubs are in specific areas of the country and provide a range of support services in one location, in an external partner’s premises, not a Jobcentre. They offer intensive support for up to 6 months, with the main point of contact being a Youth Hub Work Coach. Youth Hubs provide access to support through the Youth Hub partners, and wider community partners, in addition to DWP support.

Youth Employability Coaches are for those with the most complex support needs. They provide tailored support to help address their barriers to work, such as linking to partners to help address housing needs. The aim is to help these customers develop the necessary skills to help them prepare for employment in the future or find and keep employment. This support lasts for 6 months and can be extended to 12 months after a case conference if this is seen as appropriate. The support provided by Youth Employability Coaches includes CV, application, and interview preparation, identifying opportunities to develop employability skills, and advocating for customers with employers.

This multi-strand and mixed-method evaluation aimed to understand the outcomes of the Youth Offer policy in supporting DWP customers aged 16 – 24 and in Intensive Work Search closer to or into employment. It explored how the Youth Offer was being delivered in practice, its effectiveness, and how customer characteristics informed differences in experiences and outcomes.