Government pledges £1.2bn to open up training and apprenticeships for young people

Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged a £1.2bn annual investment to support over a million young people into training and apprenticeships.

Reeves confirmed the pledge during her Spending Review 2025 at Parliament today (11th June 2025).

This funding aims to address skills gaps and provide opportunities for young people who have previously been turned away from oversubscribed courses.

Reeves said: “We must give our young people the skills that they need to contribute to our national success as scientists, engineers and designers, as builders, welders and electricians. 

“I know the ambition, the drive and the potential of our young people. And it cannot be right that too often those ambitions and that potential are stifled when young people who want training find courses are oversubscribed and are turned away at the door, forcing growing businesses eager to recruit to look elsewhere. 

“Potential wasted and enterprise frustrated, so today, I am providing record investment for training and upskilling £1.2bn pounds a year by the end of the spending review to support over a million young people into training and apprenticeships so that their potential, their drive and their ambition is no longer frustrated.”

The Spending Review also highlighted broader commitments to working people, including banning exploitative zero-hours contracts, strengthening statutory sick pay, and ending unscrupulous fire and rehire practices. 

Additionally, the Government pledged to increase the National Living Wage, providing a pay rise for around three million workers.