Issued by: Department for Work and Pensions

As part of a new partnership with UKHospitality announced today (15 October 2026), major employers will provide paid employment as well as work experience and training opportunities for 18 to 24 year olds who are not in education, work or training.

• Britain’s leading hospitality businesses including Whitbread, McDonald’s and Nando’s, commit to hiring 100,000 young people not in education, employment or training through a major partnership with UKHospitality.

• Review of school exclusions launched to stop more children falling out of education, with persistently absent pupils nearly four times more likely to become NEET.

• Comes as part of wider reforms to ensure young people get the support they need to take up education, training and work opportunities.

Young unemployed people are set to benefit from a major new partnership with Britain’s leading hospitality businesses, targeting 100,000 paid jobs in the sector.

The hospitality industry is one of the biggest employers of young people, and some of Britain’s biggest names, including Whitbread, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Marriott, Compass, Burger King, Parkdean Resorts, Haven, Fuller’s, Merlin Entertainments, Stonegate Group, Mitchells and Butler, Wagamama, Sodexo, WSH Limited and De Vere, will commit to 100,000 paid jobs over three years - offering these young people the chance to gain skills, confidence and experience.

For some, a job in hospitality will be the start of a long-term career in the sector and for others, it will be a chance to discover what they want to do in life, build their CVs and develop the experience to take their next step.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:

"Hospitality has long provided young people with a route into the world of work.

"I’m delighted that the industry is helping unemployed young people get their first step on the ladder and build their careers.

"With the UK employment rate now the second highest in the G7, this will unlock 100,000 jobs and connect young people with employers ready to take them on and help them build a brighter future."

Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said:

"Hospitality is the number one employer of young people in the economy, providing valuable and rewarding routes into work.

"This announcement demonstrates the Government’s recognition of hospitality as a critical sector to solve the NEETs crisis and we’re pleased to work together on this partnership to target 100,000 job opportunities for NEET young people, as well as on creating the right conditions for growth.

"Expanding access to support for the Hospitality Skills Passport, which has already seen enormous success, is incredibly positive and will rightly form a significant pillar of our work together to achieve this goal."

This builds on the announcement last month of 100,000 jobs in the retail sector, developed with the support of former M&S chief executive Marc Bolland who is convening employers to help the million young people not in education, work or training.

The Education Secretary is also expected to announce a Call for Evidence on school exclusion reforms, as part of a wider effort to stop young people becoming disconnected from education, strengthen support for young people at risk of exclusion and ensure children continue learning while temporarily out of the classroom.

The Government will seek views on measures to strengthen support for pupils at risk of exclusion, improve reintegration into school following suspension, and ensure children continue learning while out of the classroom. The reforms are designed to help more children stay engaged in education, prevent problems escalating and reduce the risk of young people becoming disconnected from opportunity later in life.

It comes as students who are persistently absent from school (absent 10% of the time or more) are 3.9 times more likely to end up NEET. The reforms are designed to help more children stay engaged in education, reduce lost learning, prevent problems escalating and lower the risk of young people becoming disconnected from opportunity later in life.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said:

"Every child deserves the chance to succeed, with all of the right, joined-up wraparound support to transition into adulthood.

"But absence and exclusion are too often a path to disengagement, with increased risks of becoming NEET. Too many young people who fall out of education risk being permanently left on the sidelines of work and opportunity.

"That’s why we want to ensure pupils who are suspended continue to learn, get the support they need, and have a clear route back into school. By acting earlier and keeping pupils connected to learning, we can help more young people fulfil their potential and reduce the number who go on to become NEET."

Marc Bolland said:

"I have been committed to helping NEETS into work for over 10 years, as the founder of the Movement to Work.

"I am delighted that I have been able to play a role in securing these important commitments to 100,000 jobs in Retail and now 100,000 jobs in the hospitality industry, which shows what can be achieved when business and government work together."

Today’s intervention comes after Alan Milburn’s interim review into the root causes of youth inactivity, affecting almost one million young people. Nearly 6 in 10 young people who are NEET have never had had a job.

This comes as the Government’s new £450 million Youth Matters programme will help prevent young people disengaging from work and education, by creating and improving youth spaces, increasing access to youth workers and delivering more face-to-face activities for young people from sport and music to volunteering and the arts, backed by a commitment to recruit 1,000 new youth workers from spring 2027.

Dominic Paul, CEO of Whitbread, said:

"Hospitality has always played a vital role in giving young people their first experience of the world of work, and we take our role in creating opportunity seriously. As the UK’s largest hospitality business with Premier Inn hotels in every corner of the country, we’re proud that many young people join us for their first job and that many of them stay with us to build their careers.

"We want to strengthen our industry’s partnership with Government and are delighted to work with it to deliver this programme. It will create opportunities all over the country for young people at a time when we know there are many who need a leg up into the workplace. We know it’s a big challenge for the country and as a business with no barriers to entry, no limits to ambition, we’re committed to playing our part."

David McDowall, CEO of Stonegate Group, said:

"Hospitality has a unique ability to give people that all-important first opportunity, helping them build confidence, develop valuable skills and, for many, take the first step towards a rewarding long-term career.

"That’s exactly what happened to me, starting as a part-time member of bar staff when I was 18. At Stonegate, we see every day the contribution young people make to our business. That’s why we’re proud to support this campaign and its ambition to create 100,000 opportunities, opening doors for more young people to take their first step into work and build meaningful careers."

Jean Renton, CEO of Sodexo UK and Ireland, said:

"Sodexo is committed to using its scale and leadership to create genuine opportunities for young people and we work hard with our clients, partners and government to support those who face barriers to entering the workplace."

Simon Palethorpe, CEO of Haven, said:

"Hospitality is uniquely placed to give young people in every postcode the opportunity to get into work. But for me, the real success is when we help someone turn a job into a career – and today’s announcement means we can do this for even more people."

Fiona Eastwood, Chief Executive Officer of Merlin Entertainments, said:

"The Hospitality Skills Passport provides a much-needed route for young people to gain the skills, training and qualifications they need to start a career in our sector. The Government’s expanded support for this initiative is very welcome.

"Building on our existing commitment to create 300 jobs across our UK attractions through the Youth Guarantee, Merlin looks forward to using the Hospitality Skills Passport to provide more training and employment pathways for young people who are not currently in education, employment or training. By working together, industry and government can help unlock potential, develop future talent and create opportunities for the next generation.

"At Merlin, we see the value that young people bring to our attractions every day, helping us create memorable experiences and bring joy to millions of families. We are proud to support initiatives that help develop the talent our sector needs for the future."

Additional Information:

• Today’s announcement builds on wider reforms to strengthen routes into work. Through an additional £2.5 billion investment in the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy, the Government will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

• The Government is introducing a Jobs Guarantee expected to support more than 90,000 young people, alongside 300,000 additional work experience and training placements, the ambition to see 50,000 additional young apprentices and an expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 communities across Great Britain.

• Every young person across the country will also be able to pursue prestigious new Vocational GCSEs and access work experience, as part of the Prime Minister’s commitment in his first week in the role to put technical education on an equal footing with the traditional academic path. The new national qualifications will be created to sit alongside traditional GCSEs and will replace the current Technical Awards.

• The Government has also introduced £3,000 hiring incentives for employers and stronger partnerships with mayors, local leaders and businesses to help more young people move into sustained employment.

• A new National Mission on Work Experience will work with employers, mayors and local leaders to create 200,000 additional work experience placements, while expanding technical and vocational pathways.

• Together, these reforms will help ensure more young people leave education with the skills, experience and opportunities they need to succeed in work.

Early intervention and prevention

• Today’s announcement also builds on the Government’s wider programme of early intervention, recognising that tackling youth inactivity means acting earlier to prevent young people becoming disconnected from opportunity.

• The Government is reforming SEND provision, with £4 billion being invested in SEND reform over the next three years including a new £500 million annual Inclusive Mainstream Fund to help schools better support children with additional needs.

• Expanding opportunities for supported internships and other specialist pathways for young people with additional needs, with supported internships providing 6–12 months of work-based learning for 16–24-year-olds with SEND and tailored job-coach support to help them progress into paid employment.

• Responding to the findings of the Independent Review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the Government has committed to a major overhaul of mental health support through the forthcoming Mental Health Strategy, with a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention.

• The Government has also expanded mental health support in schools, colleges and communities. Nearly six million children and young people can now access support through Mental Health Support Teams in their school or college, 800,000 more than last year.

• Extending free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit, making over 500,000 additional children eligible and backed by more than £1 billion of Government funding.

• Together, these reforms are designed to break the link between child poverty, poor educational outcomes and youth inactivity, ensuring more young people get the support they need to thrive and reducing the risk of them becoming disconnected from education, training or work later in life.

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