Jobs Guarantee 2026: what training providers need to know about the expanded scheme

Last updated: 15 July 2026

Current status: phase one is live; national rollout starts in November

The Jobs Guarantee is not waiting for a single “autumn launch”. Phase one began in April 2026 in six areas. DWP's national Great Britain rollout is scheduled to start accepting referrals from November 2026 through appointed delivery partners.

The national delivery-partner grant opened on 9 June and closed at 09:00 on 13 July 2026. As at this update, prospective employers and providers should monitor DWP for award and local-partner information rather than attempting to apply through that closed competition.

What the national Jobs Guarantee provides

For each eligible participant, the national model provides:

• a six-month paid job;
• 100% of eligible employment costs funded for up to 25 hours per week at the relevant minimum wage;
• the option for the employer to self-fund more hours or higher pay; and
• wraparound support and training during the job, plus support towards sustained employment.

This is real paid employment, not unpaid work experience. It is also not an apprenticeship. DWP expects the national scheme to support more than 90,000 eligible young people during the next three years.

Who is eligible?

The published national criterion is an 18–24-year-old who has been claiming Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. That is narrower than a general description such as “young people who are NEET”, and it differs from the Youth Jobs Grant's six-month Universal Credit threshold.

Phase one launched with a younger 18–21 cohort in six areas: Birmingham and Solihull, the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Essex, central and east Scotland, and south-west and south-east Wales. Providers must use the guidance for the relevant phase rather than assuming every participant is already covered by the national 18–24 model.

How delivery partners and employers fit together

DWP funds lead delivery partners across 25 delivery areas in Great Britain. Those partners are responsible for administering the scheme, sourcing suitable jobs, matching eligible young people, providing wraparound support and training, monitoring delivery and supporting the move beyond the funded job.

Employers supply genuine roles and employ participants. The national employer route will therefore depend on the appointed partner for the delivery area. It is inaccurate to tell every employer simply to “register with Jobcentre Plus” or to imply that a training provider can authorise a placement itself.

Jobs Guarantee vs Youth Jobs Grant

National Jobs Guarantee

• 18–24 and on Universal Credit while looking for work for 18 months
• six-month paid job
• 100% eligible employment costs for up to 25 hours at the relevant minimum wage
• delivered through DWP-funded delivery partners
• national referrals planned from November 2026

Youth Jobs Grant

• eligible 18–24-year-old on Universal Credit for at least six months and looking for work
• employer funds a genuine job of at least 25 hours a week lasting at least four months
• employer may receive up to £3,000 in stages if conditions are met
• employer applies through Find a Grant and DWP assesses the application
• open across Great Britain since 30 June 2026

Do not promise that completion of a Jobs Guarantee job makes a later hire eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant. Eligibility, vacancy approval, timing, funding availability and terms must be checked under the grant guidance.

Can the job lead to an apprenticeship?

Possible progression, not a scheme entitlement: an employer may later offer a suitable apprentice role, but the apprenticeship is a new and separate programme. It requires an approved Skills England product, an eligible employer and learner, an apprenticeship agreement and training plan, recognised prior-learning assessment, correct apprenticeship-service records and a provider/assessment route that meets the DWP funding rules and APAR requirements.

Foundation apprenticeships are one possible option for an eligible young person and occupation. They are not a mandatory “stage two” of the Jobs Guarantee. Current foundation products are Level 2 and normally show an eight-month typical duration to gateway; they should not be marketed as generic 6–12-month transition courses.

What training providers can do

• Delivery-partner work: organisations that applied before the deadline may be appointed as leads. DWP permitted partnership and subcontracting models, so other providers may later engage with an appointed lead.
• Authorised support: provide employability or occupational training only where the delivery partner's model, contract and funding allow it.
• Separate apprenticeship progression: assess a later apprenticeship on its own merits and keep its funding and evidence separate.
• Accurate signposting: use the live Youth Jobs Grant route for that scheme and the relevant Jobs Guarantee partner once confirmed.

Timeline and actions

• April 2026: phase one launched in six areas.
• 9 June 2026: national delivery-partner grant opened.
• 13 July 2026, 09:00: national grant application window closed.
• November 2026: appointed national delivery partners are expected to start accepting referrals across Great Britain.

Quick reference checklist

• Use 18 months on Universal Credit and looking for work for national Jobs Guarantee participant eligibility.
• Use six months for the distinct Youth Jobs Grant criterion.
• Describe the national job as six months and up to 25 funded hours per week at the relevant minimum wage.
• Route national activity through appointed delivery partners once DWP confirms awards.
• Do not treat the closed delivery-partner grant as an open provider registration route.
• Do not promise automatic conversion to an apprenticeship or entitlement to another grant.
• Check every later apprenticeship against its own product version, funding rules, APAR roles and learner circumstances.