• Swindon & Wiltshire Education, training and skills
• Wednesday February 18 2026

Metro mayor pledges £7 million as youth unemployment hits 10-year high

Almost £7.1 million to help get more young people into training and work over the coming years has been approved by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to continue the regional Youth Guarantee Trailblazer.

The announcement comes in the week that youth unemployment hit a ten-year high of 16.1 per cent.

So far, during its pilot year, the Youth Guarantee has already engaged almost 400 young people across the West with personalised support, including free bus travel, provided to young people who were not previously in education, employment, or training.

In the region, 120 employers are now actively developing work-focused opportunities for young people.

Since the programme launched in June, 70 young people have been supported through the Youth Guarantee into paid employment including apprenticeships or into education and training, with another 200 receiving support to help make that next step.

Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire councils have focused respectively on young people in rural areas, young people in south Bristol, and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Over the coming year, with North Somerset Council, local authorities are set to share around £2 million to deliver more services in their areas.

A new fund will also be established for the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector to access around £700,000 a year for up to three years, helping join up support for young people.

This part of the project aims to enable local organisations to design and deliver new solutions, and use their trusted relationships to support a further 1,100 young people aged 18-21 through the Youth Guarantee programme.

In 2026/27, the Youth Guarantee trailblazer aims to support 730 young people across the West – including 360 via the new VCSE fund.

An event will take place on Monday, March 2 for the VCSE sector to hear more about the chance to support this work through flexible, capacity-based grants and the opportunities for organisations to group together with collaborative, larger bids.

Providing more jobs and opportunities for local people is a key part of the ten-year Growth Strategy for the country’s fastest growing regional economy to create another 72,000 new jobs. It was also a clear commitment in the Child Poverty Action Plan.

The West of England Youth Guarantee is one of eight nationally funded by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions as part of the Get Britain Working initiative, with additional funding for these projects through the combined authority’s Mayoral Priority Skills Fund.

“While our recent economic growth is the best in the country, social mobility in parts of the West is among the worst,” said Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England.”

“This means that children born here are less likely than others to escape poverty or challenges faced growing up. That must change, and that’s why interventions like the Youth Guarantee are so important.

“Working with employers, councils, and, soon, the voluntary sector, we can give all of our young people the right support and guidance to get on in life.

“The West must ensure that everyone can see a pathway to work, to the careers they want, and the jobs that we need.

“Together, we can build a brighter future where everyone can contribute to, and share in, the our region’s success.”