New YEF research highlights the potential of paid work placements to reduce summer violence

A summer employment programme inspired by successful US initiatives is set to expand across England and Wales in 2025, offering 1,500 paid work placements to young people vulnerable to violence.

Building on a successful 2024 feasibility study, the Summer Jobs Programme — run by UK Youth — will expand in 2025 to include South Wales, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Sheffield and Doncaster. Last year, 428 young people from Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and London participated, gaining valuable experience with employers such as Timpson, Burger King and Veolia.

In its first year, the programme received £1.5 million from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, alongside support from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and Youth Futures Foundation (YFF). As it expands, YEF and YFF will continue funding it for the next two years.

Zena Ali, a Summer Jobs Programme participant, said: “I honestly think that this is something that should be offered to everyone, I feel like this has given me transferable skills and proof that I can work in a professional setting…this has been a transformative experience for me.”

Reflecting on last year’s programme, Lee Love, Contract Manager for Veolia, commented: “The young person was really quiet and shy when he arrived but he came out of his shell and from the start to the end of the programme his confidence improved dramatically. We didn’t treat him any differently from the rest of the team, he exceeded our expectations and I like to think he left with some useful experience and a sense of pride in what he had achieved.”

Research highlights the potential to reduce violence

Summer employment programmes, such as One Summer Chicago, have been widely used in the US to support young people living in areas affected by poverty, unemployment and violence. These initiatives typically combine paid work experience with training, mentoring and youth worker support.

To assess how these programmes might help to prevent young people from becoming involved in violence in England and Wales, the YEF reviewed existing research on their impact. The findings are summarised in a new section on summer employment programmes in the YEF Toolkit, a free online resource that rates the effectiveness of various violence prevention approaches.

Key findings suggest summer employment programmes:

• Reduce violence by 36% during the summer months while participants are enrolled in the programme.

• Achieve a 17% reduction in overall crime during the same period.

The review also found that the impact of programmes on violence tends to diminish over time, with additional effects that include:

• A 9% reduction in violence-related arrests over three years.

• A 4% reduction in arrests or convictions over five years.

• A higher likelihood of participants attending and completing higher education.

• Small increases in arrests or convictions for drug-related and property-related offences, as shown in two studies.

Based on just two US studies, the review highlights the need for further research to assess the approach’s feasibility and impact in the UK context. To address this, the Ending Youth Violence Lab is working with the YEF to evaluate UK Youth’s Summer Jobs programme.

Jon Yates, CEO of the Youth Endowment Fund, said: "Young people need opportunities, and summer employment programmes provide just that. They offer an important first step on the career ladder, add valuable experience to CVs and put money in young people’s pockets. While the evidence is limited, programmes in the US appear to be highly effective at reducing violence over the summer months. We want to find out if such programmes can make the same positive difference here."

Call for employers to join

As the Summer Jobs Programme expands in 2025, UK Youth is seeking employers in the North East, Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, South Wales and London to provide five-week placements for young people aged 16-20 from July to September.

UK Youth is calling on employers and local partners to get involved — offering young people not just jobs, but opportunities to develop their skills, confidence and aspirations.

Interested employers can learn more at: www.ukyouth.org/what-we-do/our-programmes/summer-jobs-programme.

Vicky Browning, UK Youth Interim CEO, said: "We are immensely proud to have supported over 400 young people through the Summer Jobs Programme in 2024, and we are committed to growing this impact in the coming years. This would not be possible without the funding from the Youth Endowment Fund, the employers offering life-changing work placements, and the youth workers whose dedication is irreplaceable. Together, they provide a lifeline to hundreds of young people, helping to shape brighter futures. The research linked to this programme will also play a crucial role in influencing future funding and interventions, especially for those most at risk of violence."

Find out more about the effectiveness of summer employment programmes on preventing violence in the YEF Toolkit: https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/toolkit/summeremploymentprogrammes

- END –

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Youth Endowment Fund

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a mission that matters. We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

Since the YEF was established in 2019 with a ten-year endowment from the Home Office, the charity has committed £144 million to fund and evaluate violence prevention projects across England and Wales.

www.youthendowmentfund.org.uk

About The Summer Jobs Programme

UK Youth’s Summer Jobs Programme is looking for employers to offer placements to young people, aged 16-20, from July to September 2025.

The Summer Jobs Programme aims to combat the barriers that many young people face in gaining employment by fostering career development, personal growth and positive engagement. It is specifically designed to reduce the risk of youth violence by providing structured opportunities that empower young people and build brighter futures.

The programme is looking for employers to join the programme in the following areas:

- North East: Middleborough and Stockton-on-Tees

- Yorkshire: Sheffield and Doncaster

- Greater Manchester: All boroughs

- West Midlands: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton

- South Wales: Swansea, Newport and Cardiff

- London: Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest, Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Greenwich, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Islington, Camden, Westminster, Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth, Croydon, Kensington, Hammersmith, Wandsworth, Ealing, Hounslow

The programme includes a one-week pre-employment training for the young people, followed by a five-week paid work placement. By taking part, employers will not only help to transform lives but also:

• Diversify their workforce by connecting with young talent.

• Give their team a chance to develop their leadership and mentoring skills.

• Demonstrate their organisation’s commitment to social impact.

• Access additional staff resource for the summer

Participating employers will be asked to:

• Provide a five-week work placement (25 hours/week).

• Assign a supervisor to support the young person.

• Attend a full-day, in-person training session in June to set everyone up for success.

Employers will have the full support of a dedicated youth worker (and UK Youth) throughout the programme.

To see the impact this programme has, watch this video

showcasing the experiences of previous participants and employers.

If you want to get involved, or know someone who would, you can:

· Email: summerjobs@ukyouth.org

· Express interest via this form.

· Join UK Youth’s weekly drop-in sessions on Thursdays, 1–2pm.

About the Ending Youth Violence Lab

The Ending Youth Violence Lab is a new venture, funded by Stuart Roden and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and Incubated at the Behavioural Insights Team. The Lab specialises in the development and evaluation of interventions to support young people at risk of violence, and they have a range of projects spanning parenting, schools, sport, and domestic abuse underway.

For more information about the Youth Endowment Fund and to arrange interviews, please contact Matt Shaw, Senior Communications Manager on matthew.shaw@youthendowmentfund.org.uk / 07414 405031.

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