UK Government and industry to open job and training opportunities

Under Industrial Strategy plans ahead of the Milburn review into young people, thousands more routes into the UK’s fastest-growing industries will be opened up, building the skilled workforce Britain needs to grow and reindustrialise.

These include 22,400 new under-25 apprenticeships a year in professional and business services, alongside 40,000 construction placements annually as part of a previously announced construction industry ambition to create 100,000 job opportunities a year.

They mark the start of a week of Jobs Plans, with further plans for Digital and Technologies and Defence due to be published later this week. The Defence Jobs Plan will help deliver thousands of opportunities for young people, including an increase in the number of people supported through apprenticeship programmes in the defence sector to at least 14,000 annually by 2035.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “Reindustrialising Britain means giving workers the skills they need to get good jobs in growing industries. Too many young people are being denied the chance to get a foot on the career ladder.

“These Jobs Plans bring government and industry together to change that, opening up more apprenticeships, training and vocational routes into rewarding careers. Our Modern Industrial Strategy is backing the industries where Britain can lead and making sure people in every part of the country benefit from our industrial renewal.”

How more industries are being encouraged to open up opportunities for young people

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “Too many young people have been locked out of opportunities for too long. These commitments will help change that by creating clear pathways into apprenticeships, training and good jobs.

“It’s encouraging to see even more industries backing young people with new opportunities to gain the skills, training and experience needed to succeed in the growing sectors of our economy.

“By working hand in hand with employers, we’re building a skills system that meets the needs of modern industry while delivering our Youth Guarantee and helping more young people build rewarding careers.”

From accountancy and law to bricklaying, engineering and defence, the plans will create clearer routes into skilled careers while helping businesses recruit the workforce they need to grow.

Coming ahead of the final Milburn review into young people and employment, the plans will help connect more young people, including those not in education, employment or training, with opportunities to earn, learn and build a career.

By bringing government, businesses and local areas together behind investment, skills and good jobs, the plans will also support the drive to reindustrialise Britain and spread the benefits of growth across the country.

The Jobs Plans will put local partnerships at the heart of tackling skills shortages, with mayors, employers and Local Skills Improvement Plans shaping stronger routes into work through apprenticeships, work experience and vocational training.

Which industries will the Job Plans include?

Professional and Business Services:

• PBS firms have committed to recruiting 22,400 new apprentices aged under 25 each year over the next five years, alongside a 20% increase in work experience opportunities for young people. The sector will also establish systems to measure and track recruitment and support for young people not in education, employment or training.
• Opportunities will range from accountancy, business and law to AI, cyber security and data analytics, with commitments supported by leading employers and representative organisations across the PBS sector.
• Employers will support good jobs and workforce development through commitments including wider adoption of the Living Wage, a new PBS Good Jobs Standard, AI literacy training and tracking greater salary transparency in early-career recruitment.

Construction:

• Industry will strengthen workforce planning for construction, identifying jobs and skills needs nationally, regionally and locally, with sector-specific plans for sectors including homebuilding, infrastructure, repair and maintenance, and professional and technical roles. Major projects and new technology will be used to boost skills, productivity and job quality, including stronger employment and skills outcomes through procurement and social value and preparing workers for AI and industrialised construction.
• A Construction Apprenticeship Network will be created to boost apprentice recruitment and participation by smaller firms.
• Opportunities will span skilled trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, electrical work and plumbing, alongside careers in engineering, surveying, planning and construction management, supported by industry bodies including the Construction Skills Mission Board and the Construction Leadership Council.

Defence:

• Following September’s agreement, defence firms will expand work experience and pathways for young people not in education employment or training by 25%.
• Industry will also introduce a ‘no wrong door’ approach to help suitable candidates access opportunities across the defence supply chain

This is supported by the government’s £2.5 billion youth employment package, which will deliver almost one million opportunities for young people to earn or learn through apprenticeships, work experience and training.

The apprenticeship system is being pivoted towards the next generation, including 50,000 additional apprenticeships for young people and a new incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs that take on a 16 to 24-year-old apprentice. Businesses will also be supported to back young talent through the continued National Insurance exemption for under-21s and apprentices under 25.

Placing technical education on a par with academic learning

These plans are also underpinned by wider government action to put technical education on a par with academic learning and ensure more young people have access to high-quality technical education. Alongside the UK’s world-leading universities, Technical Excellence Colleges, new V Levels and expanded T Levels, and new Vocational GCSEs, will arm young people with the skills and confidence for the world of work.

Phil Smith, Chair of Skills England and member of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, said: “World class apprenticeships and skills training will be absolutely vital to supporting thousands more young people into rewarding careers and making sure these Jobs Plans deliver for key industries and sectors. That includes through new foundation apprenticeships, for people starting out their careers, and shorter apprenticeship units to help them develop fast once they’re in work.

“Bringing government, businesses and local areas together through these plans makes perfect sense. It reflects the collaborative approach now being taken to ensure the skills system delivers what businesses and our emerging workforce needs.”

The new plans build on Jobs Plans already published for Financial Services, Clean Energy Industries and Life Sciences. Jobs Plans are being developed across all eight growth-driving sectors identified in the Modern Industrial Strategy, as well as Construction, complementing the Sector Plans published in 2025.

The Advanced Manufacturing and Creative Industries Jobs Plans will follow shortly, setting out further action to build the workforce needed for Britain’s industrial renewal.

Opening doors into the UK’s digital and tech sector

Ten thousand young people will get the chance to get experience under their belt, build up their CVs and get their foot in the door of Britain’s digital and tech sector. Some of Britain’s key tech employers, including Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Cognizant, AtkinsRéalis, Arm, Kainos and QinetiQ, are backing the drive, opening up 10,000 opportunities over the next three years.

Secondary students will receive workshops, skills sessions, career talks, industry workplace experiences, tech clubs, inter-school competitions and access to the digital learning platform Ada Computer Science – giving every UK student the chance to build tech skills that lead to better jobs, higher earnings and brighter futures.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “It’s one of the biggest frustrations when you’re starting out. Everyone tells you that you need experience to get a job, but nobody gives you the chance to get that experience in the first place.

“Thousands of young people will get the chance to get their foot in the door in one of the UK’s biggest growth sectors, build their confidence and skills and get something meaningful on their CV.

“Our job is to back this generation, open those doors and give every young person a fair chance to build a good future for themselves, wherever they come from.”

Last week, the Prime Minister also said that the state is not set up to meet the needs of young people today, as they face new challenges in an age of social media and AI, rising costs and a more volatile and uncertain global context. He warned that the longer young people are left adrift from education, employment or training, the more likely they are to become disconnected from society, damaging not only their own prospects but the strength and cohesion of our communities.