The Green Party has announced plans to guarantee two-year jobs to unemployed young people within four months of them leaving education or training, according to BBC News. The proposal was unveiled at the party’s conference in Brighton by co-deputy leader Mothin Ali.
Speaking to activists, Ali said there were approximately one million “bored, desperate and lost” young people currently out of work, education or training in the United Kingdom. The scheme would place youngsters in private sector positions, with the government covering half their wages.
The initial pilot programme would focus on areas with the lowest number of job openings for young people, creating 9,000 positions at an overall cost of £110 million. Regions targeted for the pilot include Rotherham, Ceredigion, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Broxtowe and South Staffordshire, with ambitions to expand the scheme nationwide if successful.
Financial justification and employer incentives
The Green Party has defended the policy on economic grounds, arguing that a person not in employment, education or training costs the state an estimated £240,000 in benefits over their lifetime. The party claims its scheme would reduce welfare spending whilst boosting tax receipts from employment.
Under the proposal, employers would be exempt from paying National Insurance contributions for participants, though they would be required to provide in-job training. The Greens are positioning the plan as more ambitious than the government’s existing programme, which subsidises six-month job placements for benefit claimants who have been seeking work for 18 months.
Ali criticised ministers for suggesting that youngsters who refuse roles under the current government scheme could lose access to benefits. “Threatening young people with cuts to Universal Credit if they don’t accept short-term work placements – that’s not a youth strategy,” he told the conference.
Rising youth unemployment since pandemic
The number of 16-24-year-olds not in employment, education or training has been climbing since the Covid pandemic, with figures now approaching one million. Speaking to BBC News after his address, Ali warned: “If we don’t take action now, we’re losing a generation of young people.”
A report into the issue by former Labour minister Alan Milburn is expected to be published this autumn, according to the BBC.
At the same conference, co-deputy leader Rachel Millward announced the party would immediately bring Thames Water and South East Water into public ownership without compensating shareholders, citing water supply problems and a lack of new reservoirs. She accused the prime minister of making “a mistake” with his “10-year plan of gentle threats and vague notions of control”.
South East Water responded by stating it was “focused on delivering on our commitments by investing £1.9 billion into local infrastructure and resilience over the next five years”.
What this means for Poles in the UK
Young Poles aged under 24 who are unemployed and have settled or pre-settled status would be eligible for this scheme if the Green Party were to implement it in government. Those who left education or training within the past four months would qualify for a guaranteed two-year position with government support covering half the salary.
The proposal would be particularly relevant for young Polish people in areas with fewer job opportunities such as Rotherham and South Staffordshire, where the pilot would launch first. Participants would receive in-job training whilst their employers would avoid National Insurance costs, potentially making these positions attractive to businesses.
However, the Green Party currently holds only four seats in Parliament, meaning this policy is not imminent. The scheme contrasts with the Labour government’s existing programme, which offers shorter six-month placements and has raised concerns about potential benefit sanctions for those who decline offers. Young Poles claiming Universal Credit should monitor any changes to the current scheme as the Milburn report is released later this year.
