UK to expand jobs guarantee scheme for young people

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The British government announced on Saturday that it would expand a programme to provide guaranteed jobs to young people and extend it nationwide as part of measures to address the problem of youth unemployment.

Britain had 981,000 people aged 16-24 not in employment, education or training in the second quarter of this year, accounting for 13% of the age group as a whole.

• The Department for Work and Pensions said a trial scheme to provide guaranteed jobs for every eligible 18 to 24-year-old on Universal Credit welfare would roll out across Britain from the end of November, helping more than 90,000 young people

• From April, the scheme will be extended to support those eligible after only 12 months on Universal Credit rather than the current 18 months

• The programme offers 25 hours a week of paid work for six months, funded by the government. It will now be available across all areas of England, Scotland and Wales

• "The longer someone is out of work, the harder it is to get back in, and no young person should be left waiting on a scrapheap for an opportunity," Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said

• Announcement comes ahead of a report next week by former minister Alan Milburn, a Labour Party ally of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, which will detail causes of rising youth inactivity and give recommendations for helping more young people into work

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)