London is set to benefit from a £30 million boost aimed at helping residents—especially young people and those with health conditions—overcome barriers to employment, thanks to new

funding from the UK Government.

The funding, part of the Get Britain Working Trailblazers initiative, will support five new programmes across the capital. These programmes will be delivered by the Mayor of London in partnership with London boroughs.

Three of the programmes will focus on helping unemployed Londoners, particularly those with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or from underrepresented communities, access meaningful job opportunities. The remaining two will target young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET), including care leavers.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall highlighted the ambition behind the investment:

“With so much talent and potential across our capital city, we want to help all young people thrive and reach their potential.

“That’s why we are investing £30 million in our Youth Trailblazers scheme in London to support more young people, including those with disabilities and long-term health conditions, into work.”

She also pointed to the Government’s broader Youth Guarantee, which promises that all 18–21-year-olds will have access to training, education, or employment opportunities.

The new schemes aim to link up local services across employment, health, skills, and youth sectors to better support jobseekers. Over 5,000 Londoners are expected to benefit in the first year alone. Key innovations include:

A digital resource hub giving young people real-time access to job, training, and support services.

A starter pack for care leavers, including essential tech like laptops, mobile phones, and internet access, to support their transition into independent living.

A Childcare Support Fund to remove childcare cost barriers for parents returning to work or training, especially those who can’t access existing government grants.

The Trailblazer programmes will align with the London Growth Plan, launched by the Mayor and London Councils to accelerate the city’s economic recovery, and will contribute to a forthcoming Inclusive Talent Strategy to build a skilled, diverse workforce.

Implementation and evaluation will be carried out by the city’s four Sub-Regional Partnerships—Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership, and West London Alliance—alongside City Hall. The goal is to significantly increase the number of Londoners entering training and employment and progressing in their careers.

For employers, this means access to a larger pool of skilled workers and the opportunity to benefit from London’s diverse talent base. The schemes also encourage inclusive practices, aiming to make workplaces more accessible and equitable.

The initiative was officially launched on Thursday, 8 May at Toynbee Hall, with remarks from Secretary Liz Kendall, Cllr Peter Mason (London Councils’ Executive Member for Skills), and Howard Dawber (London’s Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth).

Cllr Peter Mason, London Councils’ Executive member for Planning and Skills, said:

“With 1.3 million Londoners currently economically inactive and 1 in 5 young people in the capital unemployed, it's vital we have high-quality local support in place to help remove barriers to employment and support people into jobs and training. Not only will this benefit our residents and improve living standards, it will allow us to make most of the untapped potential and talent in our city in order to drive inclusive economic growth.

“Thanks to the Government’s £30 million trailblazer funding for London, boroughs have the investment boost we need to test new and innovative approaches, working through our sub-regional partnerships to learn what works best. These trailblazers will help pave the way for long-term transformation of employment support services, ensuring they are more integrated, deliver better outcomes and ensure the best possible value for public money."

Howard Dawber, London's Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, said:

“The Mayor is committed to getting more Londoners into good jobs.

“We have ambitious targets in the new London Growth Plan to not only create jobs but good jobs, where people can start real careers and can thrive. This funding will allow us to reach people who most need support and help them to train for good futureproof jobs.

“Working together with national Government and local boroughs will mean we can build a better-skilled workforce and a better, fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.”

Cllr Adam Hug, Chair of Central London Forward and Leader of Westminster City Council, said:

“It is unacceptable that young people with experience of care are more likely to be out of education and employment and more likely to suffer from poor mental health than the rest of the population.

“Central London boroughs already support care-experienced young people throughout their lives. This programme will allow us to innovate within these services and improve how the system works. We're looking forward to better supporting care experienced young people to realise their potential and build fulfilling, stable adult lives."

Cllr Antony Okereke, Chair of Local London and Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich said:

“London is growing eastwards, and with a GVA of over £50bn per annum, Local London sub-region is an economic powerhouse. The opportunities are huge, but not all our residents benefit from what's available on their doorstep. We have more people who are out of work than the rest of the capital. The reasons for this are multi-faceted, but we know that women, people with disabilities and long-term health issues, and carers are disproportionately affected.

“I'm delighted that Local London will be leading one of three trailblazers in the capital as part of the Government's plans to Get Britain Working. Working with the Mayor of London and Government, we have secured £7million devolved funding for our boroughs to trial new approaches to help our residents overcome barriers to work and to transform their lives.”

Cllr Barry Rawlings, Chair of West London Alliance and Leader of Barnet Council, said:

“West London Alliance boroughs are committed to fostering a more inclusive West London and are delighted to collaborate with the Mayor of London and our sub-regional partners on the Get Britain Working trailblazers. This initiative builds on our proven success in delivering devolved employment support programmes, which we have been running since 2016.

“Collaboration is at the very heart of everything we do at WLA, and these trailblazers exemplify that by bringing together employment, health, skills, and youth services to offer vital, tailored support to those facing profound challenges in the labour market. We are excited to continue our efforts in empowering Londoners to overcome barriers to employment and access new opportunities.”

Cllr Gareth Roberts, Chair of the South London Partnership and Leader of Richmond upon Thames Council, said:

“The trailblazer pilots created by the South London Partnership represent a bold step toward integrated, person-centred support that will provide a bridge between health and employment services. By connecting our residents to tailored job and skills opportunities across our sub region through referrals from our health partnerships, we are removing barriers and accelerating access to impactful support to enable more people to rejoin the job market.”