What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the impact of young carers participating in programmes including the young person's guarantee, given the Welsh Government's recognition that young carers can miss out on education and employment opportunities, and its efforts to close the productivity gap with parts of the UK?
We are committed to doing all we can to support young carers and ensure they are not disadvantaged by the caring role they undertake. We recognise some young carers need additional support to access and thrive in further and higher education, employment or training opportunities.
Our Targeted Employability Support Scheme enables Higher Education providers to support the employability of students from under-represented groups, including young carers and young adult carers. Our employability offer is delivered through a combination of programmes that support people into work, and recognises the additional challenges faced by young carers by providing targeted support at key transition points.
Jobs Growth Wales Plus supports young carers to take their first steps into the labour market by offering flexible, structured pathways that build skills, confidence and experience alongside their caring responsibilities.
Communities for Work Plus provides intensive, personalised support for young carers facing more complex barriers by delivering local, tailored interventions that help them build confidence, balance caring roles, and progress towards sustainable employment.
The Young Persons Guarantee was introduced to support 16–24 year olds, particularly those not in education, employment or training (NEET), into employment, self-employment, education or training. The Young Person’s Guarantee has supported around 64,000 individuals since 2022 (6000 in 2025/026), with a budget of £1.4m for 2026-27.
We will review evidence from the evaluation of the Young Persons Guarantee published in September 2025, with insights from the Economic Inactivity Trailblazer pilots. This evidence will inform the development of a revised employability offer for Wales, with a new programme scheduled to launch from April 2027.