Thousands of unemployed young people will be told to accept jobs or lose benefits

Thousands of unemployed young people are to be offered a "guaranteed" job and face benefit cuts if they refuse to accept it. Others will be told to take part in six weeks of work experience or training, under Government plans to end the scandal of almost a million young people with nothing to do. Official figures show 946,000 aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training, known as NEETs.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: "Every young person deserves a fair chance to succeed. When given the right support and opportunities, they will grasp them. That's why we are introducing a range of reforms to help young people take that vital step into the workplace or training and to go on and make something of their lives."

As part of an £820 million package of measures, 55,000 young people in unemployment hotspots will be offered a "government-backed guaranteed job" in industries such as construction, health and social care or hospitality.

More than 1,000 young people are expected to start a job in the first six months, with the scheme initially running in Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Essex, the East Midlands region, parts of Scotland and south Wales.

Another 350,000 young people will receive six weeks of training, work experience, and a guaranteed job interview, designed to boost their confidence and improve their CVs.

The Department for Work and Pensions said there would be an "expectation" that young people will take up the opportunities they are offered, and "sanctions to benefits could be applied" for those who fail to do so.

The number of young people not in education, employment or training has risen by 195,000 in the last two years, driven mainly by increasing rates of sickness and disability.

Think tank the Resolution Foundation has warned that the figure is on course to reach one million for the first time since the aftermath of the financial crisis, when it peaked at 1.2 million in 2012.

Conservatives have accused Labour of making the jobs crisis for young people worse, by increasing National Insurance contributions for employers, which pushes up the cost of employing staff, and introducing above-inflation increases in the minimum wage for people age 18 to 20, which employers have to pay.

Mr McFadden also announced that Youth Hubs, designed to provide young people with CV advice, skills training, mental health support, housing advice, and careers guidance, will be expanded with more opening across the country.

The Government is working on National Youth Strategy that will set out a long-term vision for youth policy across government. Former health secretary Alan Milburn has been asked to carry out a review of the rising number of NEET young people that will shape further reforms to health and welfare.

Helen Whately MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: "The Chancellor's tax hikes are driving up youth unemployment, snatching a career from a generation of young people; this scheme is nothing more than taking with one hand to give with the other.

"This is an admission that the Government has no plan for growth, no plan to create real jobs, and no way of measuring whether any of this money delivers results. Ministers cannot say what the roles are, who the employers will be, or how many will still exist once the funding ends.

"Only the Conservatives have a leader with a backbone, the strong team and a plan to cut taxes and double apprenticeships to build a stronger economy."