Partner With Us: Jobs Guarantee

A New Government Programme Has Landed: Jobs Guarantee

More than one million young people aged 16–24 are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK. To help tackle this challenge, the UK Government has launched Jobs Guarantee: a new programme designed to help young people aged 18–24 who are furthest from the labour market gain paid work experience, develop skills, and move into sustained employment.

Better Connect is currently developing a partnership to deliver Jobs Guarantee across Lincolnshire, East and North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire, and we’re looking for experienced organisations to join us.

Jobs Guarantee at a Glance

•   Participants: Approximately 5,300 young people
•   Regions: Lincolnshire, East and North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire
•   Delivery Period: November 2026 – November 2028
•   Who We’re Looking For: Employment, skills, youth and VCSE organisations
•   Opportunity: Delivery across one or more geographical areas

How Does Jobs Guarantee Work?

Jobs Guarantee will support young people aged 18–24 who have been claiming Universal Credit and actively seeking work for 18 months or more.

Participants will receive a fully funded six-month paid job placement, alongside training and wrap-around support to help them gain skills, confidence and experience, and progress into sustained employment.

Eligible participants will either:

• Have been out of work and education for the previous 18 months; or
• Have completed fewer than 50 hours of paid work during that period.

Delivery partners will support participants throughout their Jobs Guarantee journey, from preparing for work and securing a suitable placement, through to sustaining employment and progressing into longer-term opportunities.

The Opportunity

Better Connect is applying to lead delivery of Jobs Guarantee across Lincolnshire, East and North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire.

The programme is expected to support:

• Approximately 1,700 young people across Lincolnshire, East and North Yorkshire
• Approximately 3,600 young people across West Yorkshire

Partners may apply to deliver services across one or more geographical areas.

We’re looking to build a partnership of organisations with experience supporting young people facing barriers to employment, alongside a strong understanding of local communities, employers, and labour market conditions.

Who Can Apply?

We welcome expressions of interest from organisations with experience delivering employment, skills, youth, or wrap-around support services, including specialist employment support organisations, charities, voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises, training providers, and other organisations with relevant experience supporting young people.

What Will Delivery Partners Deliver?

Successful partners will support participants before, during, and after their placement, including:

• Pre-employment support and job matching
• In-work support throughout the six-month placement
• Post-placement support to help participants sustain employment or progress into further opportunities
• Employer engagement and relationship management
• Sourcing suitable job opportunities
• Supporting employers to meet programme requirements

We anticipate successful partners will begin working with participants approximately 6–8 weeks before placement start dates and continue providing support throughout the funded employment period.

Why Partner With Better Connect?

Over the last two decades, we’ve brought together partnerships that have supported thousands of people into employment, education and training, distributing more than £35m into local communities and specialist delivery organisations.

Through Jobs Guarantee, we’re looking to build a partnership that combines local knowledge, specialist expertise, and a shared commitment to tackling youth unemployment.

Find Out More

To learn more about the opportunity, please download and review the programme guidance and supporting documents below before submitting an expression of interest.

If your organisation would like to explore becoming a Jobs Guarantee delivery partner, we’d love to hear from you.

Expression of Interest Deadline: Tuesday 30 June, 9.30am

Expression of Interest Form

Application Guidance

Application Questions

Partner Declaration Template 

Contact us: elyons@betterconnect.org.uk