Thanet will get one of 80 new Youth Hubs across the country, it has been announced today (March 25).
Youth Hubs bring together Jobcentre Plus, local authority services, employers and training providers under one roof to support young people aged 16–24.
Each hub will give access to on-site jobcentre support alongside mental health and housing support, skills and training opportunities, careers guidance and direct connections to employers with live job and apprenticeship opportunities.
The expansion is the government’s latest step towards bringing Youth Hubs to every area in Great Britain to establish address the almost one million young people not earning or learning – a rise of 248,000 between 2021 – 2024.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “Today marks a major boost for young people with 80 new Youth Hubs and Scotland’s first Youth Guarantee Jobs Fair driving opportunity.
“We are delivering support in every region, connecting young people with employers, and meeting them where they are so they can move into work, as we reform the welfare state into a working state.
“This is about breaking down barriers, opening doors and ensuring every young person can earn or learn, wherever they live.”
The hubs are part of a £2.5 billion investment in the Youth Guarantee and changes to the Growth and Skills Levy to prioritise young apprentices, creating 200,000 jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.
This includes a Youth Jobs Grant worth £3,000 for employers for every young person they hire aged 18-24 who has been on UC for six months, an expanded Jobs Guarantee for 18–24-year-olds, and new foundation apprenticeships in key sectors.
East Thanet MP Polly Billington said: “As Chair of the Labour group of MPs for coastal communities, tackling the persistent inequalities facing young people in seaside towns like ours is a top priority for me. Thanet continues to experience high youth unemployment and significant challenges around young people’s mental health.
“That’s why this new Youth Hub is so important for bringing vital employment and support services together under one roof, so we can help more young people access the help they need to move into decent, secure work.”
The youth unemployment rate – for those aged 18 to 24- in Thanet has risen once again to 12.1%.
The rate, which is for February, is a 0.1% rise on the figure in January and by far the highest in the south-east, with Hastings at 10.9% being the second highest. The Kent average is 6.4%.
The figure for Thanet now equates to 1060 people aged 18 to 24 who are not in employment.
The 12.1% youth unemployment rate represents a significant, recent high for Thanet. Pre-pandemic rates stood at around 7%. although this reached 17.4% in 2020 during the pandemic. Since 2025 the rate hovered at around 10% before the rise at the end of last year.
Thanet consistently faces the highest youth unemployment in the South East. The three month rate for 18-24-year-old youth unemployment nationally (November-January) stood at 14.5%, the highest level since 2015.
Oh goody more Molly codling of the young, in my day we just rolled our sleeves up and got on with it. We had to.I’m not going to tarnish all young people with the same brush, but the majority of them want everything handed on a plate and an easy life.not good honest hard work!
Waste of money Polly.
Luxury!”
“You were lucky…”
“We used to dream of rolling up our sleeves and getting thoroughly tarnished with a brush! And we certainly didn’t have plates. We lived in a hole in the ground in Dane Park and were beaten to sleep every night.”
You had a hole in the ground, you lucky so and so, we could only dream of a hole in the ground and a good beating.
Hmmmmm, the way this government is going, I wouldn’t be surprised if youth hubs was another name for indoctrination centres.I hope I am wrong because I hated school and school hated me but my youth club 50 years ago sorted me out. However if there is a sudden rise of white guilt, lefty/woke and ‘i am in the wrong body’, then we know why.
Article implies there’s not been an increase since 2024… what’s the increase been in last two years?
Isn’t this but a revamped version of ‘Connexions’ that offered similar, if not the same, opportunities not so many years ago?
Re invented the wheel under a different name, they are MPs after all, they do suffer from a lack of imagination and knowing what’s best for others and the areas they serve. They are only any good at looking after their own interests. So they try and get credit for renaming the wheel, ah bless.
Wish I could afford all the extra expensive coats Polly wears. However I work for a living am taxed to poverty. Let’s make it too expensive to employ youngsters they say oh we are going to give you a grant aren’t we virtuous. 1984 Orwell is alive and thriving in this government.