West Yorkshire Promise: Work Experience for Young People

Tracy Brabin launches the West Yorkshire Promise with a work experience guarantee for every young person by 18, £9 million in redirected apprenticeship levy funding for SMEs, and £3 million for construction placements as the region responds to a national youth employment crisis

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has launched the West Yorkshire Promise a set of commitments to every young person aged 14 to 24 in the region, including a guarantee of work experience by the age of 18. The strategy, unveiled at Bradford College, responds to the Milburn Review’s warning that almost one million 16-24 year olds in England are not in education, employment, or training, a figure that could rise to 1.25 million within five years. For West Yorkshire’s employers, the Promise includes a direct ask: provide more work placements, take on more apprentices, and help build the workforce pipeline the region needs. The Combined Authority’s Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Service has already redirected over £9 million from large employers including Amazon, Asda, and Santander to smaller businesses, creating more than 1,000 apprenticeships.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Leeds employers across construction, digital, professional services, and manufacturing consistently report skills shortages. Nearly £3 million is earmarked for construction placements for 16-18 year olds relevant to the developments across the South Bank, Aire Park, and Lisbon Street. The Levy Transfer Service gives SMEs access to fully funded training.

What the West Yorkshire Promise Means for Employers

The Promise has four pillars. First, a work experience guarantee the Combined Authority will double the number of young people gaining meaningful work experience in school years 7 to 13 over the next three years, building on 1,637 placements delivered through the Careers Hub last year. Second, a simplified apprenticeship offer for SMEs, with the Levy Transfer Service matching large employers’ unused funding with smaller firms. Third, a focus on the practical skills employers say they need communication, teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and enterprise. Fourth, health support for 2,000 young people with conditions that are keeping them out of work or learning. Tracy Brabin said no young person should leave education without having set foot in a workplace, and that the services designed to support them must be joined up at the local level.

“To every young person struggling to find work, and to every mum, dad or grandparent lying awake at night worried about their kids’ future, my message is simple — we will not write this next generation off. We will guarantee real work experience alongside the apprenticeships, skills training and mental health support our young people need.”

— Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire

The Business Case for Acting Now

The Milburn Review found that for every £1 spent on employment support for young people in 2024-25, around £25 was spent on benefits. The economic case for early intervention is overwhelming. West Yorkshire is already seeing results: Bradford has reduced its NEET rate from 6.8 per cent to 4 per cent, below the national average of 5.8 per cent. In Leeds, a supported internship pilot has helped young people with additional needs into year-long work placements with strong gains in confidence. The keynote at the Bradford College launch was delivered by James Pearson, an 18-year-old apprentice at CATCH Leeds from Old Farnley, who spoke about navigating complex social care and employment systems. The West Yorkshire Promise targets are specific: halve the NEET rate for 16-17 year olds from 6 per cent to 3 per cent by 2035, and bring youth unemployment in line with the national average meaning 3,100 more young people in work.