The Department for Work and Pensions has issued an update on the scheme this week
DWP minister Lilian Greenwood has this week issued an update on the scheme – which can see claimants penalised if they do not take part(Image: Parliament TV)
The DWP has issued an update on a scheme for people on Universal Credit that can see claimants lose benefits. The programme is aimed at 16 and 17 year olds on the benefit but has tough penalties for those who do not take part.
If you know someone at that age who is unemployed, there are many government programmes on offer that could help. One scheme designed to offer intensive help to people at that age is the so-called Youth Guarantee Gateway, which was rolled out at Jobcentres across Great Britain in June.
Most 16 and 17 year olds are in education at that age. Yet some are not – and the government is trying to ensure that they get support.
People in this category can get help from programmes that may make it easier to find a job, get you work experience, help with a CV, training, travel and childcare costs among other things. Now the DWP has faced questions over the Gateway scheme. On Wednesday, the DWP explained how the scheme is working so far.
Joshua Reynolds, a Lib Dem MP for Maidenhead, asked how many 16 and 17 year olds have received support through the Youth Guarantee Gateway since its introduction. On Wednesday, Lilian Greenwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions), said in response: “The Youth Guarantee Gateway forms part of the expanded employment support available for eligible young people claiming Universal Credit and looking for work.
“The Youth Guarantee journey, including the Gateway, is available to young people aged 16 to 24 who are placed in the Intensive Work Search (IWS), Work Focused Interview (WFI), or Work Preparation regimes. Participation is mandatory for those in the IWS regime and available on a voluntary basis for those in the WFI or Work Preparation regimes. The Youth Guarantee Gateway was introduced in 81 Jobcentres in April 2026 and rolled out nationally across Great Britain from the end of June 2026.
“Most 16 to 17-year-olds are in full-time education and therefore not eligible for Universal Credit. As of May 2026, there were 9,156 16 and 17-year-olds claiming Universal Credit, of whom 3,436 would be eligible for support through the Youth Guarantee Gateway if they were to make a claim after the expanded support had been rolled out to their Jobcentre.”
The DWP said when the scheme was announced : “There is an expectation that young people will take up the opportunities they are offered, and sanctions to benefits could be applied for those who don’t engage with the offered support without good reason.”
The Gateway is part of something called the Youth Guarantee Journey, which is aimed at people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit. People on this ‘journey’ continue to get their Universal Credit.
The journey aims to prepare people for work, offer support at work, and make it easier to get a job. You could be offered the help of a work coach.
You can also get help in how to search and apply for jobs among other support. But the DWP’s aim is to help people find work and make more money.
Those on the scheme get regular appointments with a coach, and the Gateway is part of this process. The government says after 13 weeks, you get a Gateway appointment.
In it, you must agree to do one of the following:
- training (up to 16 weeks)
- education that works with Universal Credit
- an apprenticeship
- work
- a SWAP or Wales Skills to Employment Pathway
- work experience
Penalties for Universal Credit claimants on the Youth Guarantee Gateway
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden was asked on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg if young people could lose benefits if they do not cooperate. In response, he said: “Yes, sanction is part of the system. This is an offer on one hand, but it’s an expectation on the other, because the future we don’t want for young people is to be sitting at home on benefits when there are other options out there.”
The scheme is designed to help nearly one million people – although so far only a handful are eligible. Explaining the government’s ambitions for the Gateway, Dame Diana Johnson said in the House of Commons in December: “For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up. This support could be delivered at a Youth Hub.”
The charity Welcare says on its website that the Youth Guarantee has many benefits. But it warns: “It cannot promise a job to every young person, identical vacancies in every area or a permanent role after a short placement. Services depend on eligibility, referrals and local delivery. Published targets describe overall aims, not a personal guarantee of a specific result.
“Ask for a clear explanation of eligibility, local options and what will happen next. If one route is unavailable, ask about another path toward earning or learning. Support is most useful when it is specific, respectful and linked to a next step the young person can take.”
For more details on support on offer for people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit, visit the government web page on the subject.