Young people across the country will be helped onto the career ladder thanks to the creation of 300,000 new work experience placements in sectors including construction
The new work experience placements, part of a £2.5bn youth employment support package, will enable young people to gain hands-on experience, build real skills, and move into sustained work.
They come as the Government accelerates its Youth Guarantee to give every young person the chance to earn or learn and to reverse the rising numbers of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET), currently standing at just over one million.
Work experience and training could help boost construction skills
Currently, there is a clear mismatch between the industry’s current trajectory and the government’s ambitions.
Analysis by Protrade revealed a 1.5% increase in new construction apprentices in 2024-25, reversing the downward trend that plagued previous years. However, it noted that the UK is still facing significant structural weaknesses in the construction skills system.
The Construction Industry Training Board’s forecast also echoes the mismatch. An additional 240,000 workers are needed by 2030 – around 48,000 each year to meet the government’s housing targets. With just 24,590 new recruits, the industry is meeting only half that requirement.
The Youth Guarantee package will deliver a range of opportunities to young people – including a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and 50,000 additional youth apprenticeships, supporting the Government’s mission to ensure that getting Britain’s young people into productive jobs is central to its wider plan for economic growth.
Construction SWAPs powering the pipeline of new skilled workers
The 300,000 new work experience placements will comprise work experience and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), reaching young people in every corner of the country.
Construction SWAPs broke records in 2025/26, with almost 17,000 starts helping to power the pipeline of skilled workers Britain needs to deliver on its housebuilding and infrastructure ambitions.
Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden explained: “The evidence is clear: give young people real work experience and the chances of them building a lasting career increase dramatically.
“That’s why we are creating 300,000 new placements, backed by some of Britain’s biggest employers, to give young people the skills, confidence and connections they need to get on.
He concluded: “This generation deserves every opportunity to succeed, and this Government is determined to deliver it.”
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