Flintshire confirmed for new Youth Hub in UK Government rollout
Flintshire has been confirmed as the site of a new Youth Hub offering employment, skills and wellbeing support to people aged 16 to 24.
The hub is one of seven new locations announced for Wales by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions.
Six of the seven, including Flintshire, are due to open within the next two years.
No venue has been chosen and no opening date has been set.
The Department for Work and Pensions said the exact sites would be decided later by local delivery partners working with the local authority, and remain subject to change until they go live.
Youth Hubs move employment support out of the jobcentre and into community venues such as sports clubs, libraries and colleges.
They bring together careers advice, help with CVs and job applications, training and apprenticeship routes, and support with mental health, housing and finances.
Anyone aged 16 to 24 can use a Youth Hub, whether or not they are claiming Universal Credit.
Flintshire is one of six Welsh areas in the second year of the rollout, alongside the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Powys, Monmouthshire and Gwynedd. Ceredigion is listed for a third year.
They follow 13 Welsh areas announced in the first wave, which included the neighbouring authorities of Denbighshire, Conwy and Wrexham.
The scheme forms part of a £2.5 billion Youth Guarantee aimed at connecting every 16 to 24-year-old with work or training.
The expansion follows a visit by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden to the Netherlands, which has one of the lowest rates of young people not in education, employment or training in the world.
In the Netherlands, 4.9 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds are not in work, education or training. In the UK the figure is 15.1 per cent.
More than one million 16 to 24-year-olds across the UK are now not in education, employment or training, a rise of almost 250,000 since 2021. The Department for Work and Pensions said more than half reported a health condition.
The Dutch model, which the UK Youth Hubs are based on, brings employment, housing, health and training support under one roof. The Resolution Foundation has said that if the UK matched the Dutch rate, 600,000 more young people would be in work or education.
Mr McFadden said the UK too often saw young people “signed off and written off, without engagement or support”. He said the country should learn from the Dutch approach of having “a pathway for every young person”.
Employers are being offered a Youth Jobs Grant of £3,000 for hiring an 18 to 24-year-old who has been on Universal Credit for six months, and a £2,000 incentive for small businesses taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 24.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:
“We want to make sure young people are getting real, personalised support, that’s not one size fits all. I’ve seen how it can change lives.
“I want to turbocharge this rollout so that every young person has this support within reach that can help them move into learning or earning.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
“Even more young people in Wales will get the support they need to get that vital first job through our expansion of UK Government Youth Hubs to seven more areas.
“These new Youth Hubs will provide tailored support, access to training opportunities and connections to employers who have job vacancies so that young people can both learn and earn in their local communities.”
The Department for Work and Pensions said it would now work with councils and partner organisations to identify the best locations.
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