The Government must provide a transport bursary for Britain’s most disadvantaged young people living in rural areas who are struggling to access work.

The bursary must be included in the Government’s annual £1bn package to encourage people back into work announced on Tuesday as part of drastic welfare reforms.   

EveryYouth welcomes an above inflation rise to the standard Universal Credit allowance – a £775 annual increase in cash terms by 2029 – as announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall. 

But we are concerned about any prevention of access to the Universal Credit health top up until someone is aged 22. This could take away vital support for vulnerable young people when they need it most. We know many young people experiencing homelessness struggle to get timely support to address severe mental health issues caused by childhood trauma. It is unrealistic to expect them to become work ready if they cannot address their mental health challenges too. 

To tackle youth unemployment rates across the country, which are at an 11-year high, we urge the Government to confirm how it will help young people at risk or experiencing homelessness in rural Britain to secure meaningful employment. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that the number of people aged 18 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (Neet) rose to 907,000 at the end of last year, a 30% increase on the level before the pandemic in 2020. 

EveryYouth supports people aged 16-25 across the UK into employment, education and training (EET) opportunities through EveryYouth Employed, our programme carried out by our Network of 15 local charities. Job coaches help young people write quality CVs, complete job and training applications, and prepare for interviews. They also provide support for young people in the early phase of their chosen EET options. 

We know young people in areas such as Hampshire, Norfolk, South Yorkshire, Aberdeen, and Northern Ireland are desperate for work but struggle to secure full-time jobs because they cannot afford driving lessons, a drivers’ licence, or a car, and public transport is simply unreliable. Some have walked up to two miles to the closest bus stop just to get to work.  

Job coaches at some our Delivery Partners across the UK also report that apprenticeship programmes, such as in the railway network, council maintenance and waste management, require candidates to have a full drivers’ licence. This excludes many of our most vulnerable young people from applying.  

Even young people who are wanting to attend GCSE English or Maths night classes, in order to meet prerequisites for apprenticeships, can’t rely on public transport to get home in rural areas and must book expensive taxis.  

To help young people in these areas secure meaningful work, the surest way out of homelessness, realistic transportation options, or work opportunities where transport is provided, must be available. 

Transport funds could be distributed by our Delivery Partners and the wider youth homelessness charity sector, as the Work and Pension Secretary has already stated: “Charities and voluntary groups are absolutely critical to this Government’s plans”. 

Funds could also be included in the Government’s ‘Youth Guarantee’ scheme which is set to launch next month. Eight ‘trailblazer’ areas across the country, including in Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley and the East Midlands, will be given £45m to identify those most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to opportunities.  

The scheme is a bid to ensure that every 18 to 21-year-old in England gets access to education, training, or help to find a job or an apprenticeship. ‘Trailblazers’ will design and test how different elements of the Guarantee can be brought together into a coherent offer for young people. 

EveryYouth CEO Nicholas Connolly said: “Getting to work is one of the biggest barriers our young people face because public transport fails them. Outside major cities it is either extremely expensive or non-existent.  

“Until the wider transportation system can be improved, young people need a transport bursary to remove the financial barrier of getting to interviews and work, at least until they get paid.  

“As the Secretary has already said, we don’t want to waste the talent of our young people who are desperate to work.”