Youth Guarantee and school libraries commitments announced by government
On 29 September, the Chancellor announced two new education, work and skills initiatives aimed at tackling youth unemployment and improving literacy in primary schools.
Youth Guarantee
Through a new Youth Guarantee, young people who have been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning will be offered guaranteed paid work. The scheme will build on and expand existing employment support to help young people at risk of long-term unemployment transition into regular work.
This announcement comes following a government announcement in August of a £45 million extension to the Youth Guarantee trailblazer scheme, through which eight trailblazers across England are testing and piloting innovative approaches to identify and support young people at risk of falling out of education, employment and training.
Evidence from the Mayor of London scheme highlights how young people are being supported through signposting to local training and work opportunities, access to devices, CV assistance, interview preparation and pastoral support.
School libraries
Through committed funding of £10 million, the Chancellor announced a guarantee that all primary schools will have a library by the end of the parliament. Figures show 1 in 7 do not currently have access to a library, and these numbers are worse for those in the North and those in disadvantaged areas.
This move aims to address these regional and socioeconomic imbalances in literacy and library access, with more details to be announced in due course.
As schools increasingly integrate technology into teaching, libraries can help pupils navigate both print and digital information, as holistic learning hubs. An example from Dixons Allerton Academy evidences how an innovative approach to the school library, that incorporates technology, digital devices and flexible spaces, can drive student engagement – highlighting a 400% increase in book loans and a huge increase in children borrowing since their new library opened in 2013.
Welcome steps, but delivery will be key
This ambition is welcomed by techUK as steps in the right direction, but implementation will determine impact.
The Youth Guarantee is a positive move to help young people build experience and confidence to enter the workforce, but the real test will be whether the scheme offers the skills-building opportunities and experiences that can inspire young people into long-term employment and careers. This should mean exposure to digital skills, tech-enabled roles, and pathways into apprenticeships and further training.
Ensuring that there is a library in every primary school will be invaluable in ensuring equal opportunities for all pupils. Access to books, reading spaces and trained staff can help improve literacy outcomes and foster a passion for reading. But this move also provides an opportunity to modernise school libraries as spaces that drive a broader engagement with learning, and support both traditional literacy and digital learning.
The tech sector is well placed to support delivery of both initiatives. By working with local authorities, job and skills centres, tech companies and training providers can help shape meaningful Youth Guarantee placements that build digital confidence and career readiness. Greater use of technology solutions like AI can also help those supporting people through these services, and the young people being supported, to identify and navigate the range of opportunities available to them.
Similarly, by supporting schools to modernise library spaces, with access to devices, digital resources and staff training, the sector can help ensure libraries foster literacy and digital inclusion from an early age.
Nimmi Patel
Nimmi Patel
Nimmi Patel is the Head of Skills, Talent and Diversity at techUK. She works on all things skills, education, and future of work policy, focusing on upskilling and retraining. Nimmi is also an Advisory Board member of Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (digit). The Centre research aims to increase understanding of how digital technologies are changing work and the implications for employers, workers, job seekers and governments.
Prior to joining the techUK team, she worked for the UK Labour Party and New Zealand Labour Party, and holds an MA in Strategic Communications at King’s College London and BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Manchester. She also took part in the 2024-25 University of Bath Institute for Policy Research Policy Fellowship Programme and is the Education and Skills Policy Co-lead for Labour in Communications.
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Antony Walker
Antony Walker
Antony Walker is deputy CEO of techUK, which he played a lead role in launching in November 2013.
Antony is a member of the senior leadership team and has overall responsibility for techUK’s policy work. Prior to his appointment in July 2012 Antony was chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), the UK’s independent advisory group on broadband policy. Antony was closely involved in the development of broadband policy development in the UK since the BSG was established in 2001 and authored several major reports to government. He also led the development of the UK’s world leading Open Internet Code of Practice that addresses the issue of net neutrality in the UK. Prior to setting up the BSG, Antony spent six years working in Brussels for the American Chamber of Commerce following and writing about telecoms issues and as a consultant working on EU social affairs and environmental issues. Antony is a graduate of Aberdeen University and KU Leuven and is also a Policy Fellow Alumni of the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge University.
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- @techUKdepCEO
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Jake Wall
Jake Wall
Jake has been the Policy Manager for Skills and Future of Work since May 2022, supporting techUK's work to empower the UK to skill, attract and retain the brightest global talent, and prepare for the digital transformations of the future workplace.
Previously, Jake was the Programme Assistant for Policy. He joined techUK in March 2019 and has also worked across the EU Exit, International Trade, and Cloud, Data Analytics and AI programmes.
He also holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Sussex, as well as a BA(Hons) in International Politics from Aberystwyth University. During his time at Aberystwyth University, he won the International Politics Dissertation Prize.
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- @jww_tech,@jww_tech,@jww_tech
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Archie Breare
Archie Breare
Archie Breare joined techUK in September 2022 as the Telecoms Programme intern, and moved into the Policy and Public Affairs team in February 2023.
Before starting at techUK, Archie was a student at the University of Cambridge, completing an undergraduate degree in History and a master's degree in Modern British History.
In his spare time, he likes to read, discuss current affairs, and to try and persuade himself to cycle more.
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- linkedin.com/in/archie-breare-512346230
Authors
Jake Wall
Jake has been the Policy Manager for Skills and Future of Work since May 2022, supporting techUK's work to empower the UK to skill, attract and retain the brightest global talent, and prepare for the digital transformations of the future workplace.
