King's College London

This is the second instalment of the School for Government’s comment series on the future of evidence-based policy. Look out for more contributions to the series in the coming weeks.

The UK’s devolution agenda is changing the way decisions are made about jobs and skills, creating both challenges and opportunities for tackling youth unemployment. With more powers shifting to mayors and combined authorities, the policy landscape is becoming increasingly complex. But this also brings real potential to test new ideas and drive innovation at a local level.

At the Youth Futures Foundation, we see devolution as a fantastic chance to embed evidence-based solutions into regional policymaking. The move towards local decision-making aligns with our mission to ensure all young people – regardless of background – can access good work. However, it also raises important questions: How do we keep youth employment high on the agenda across disparate regions? And how do we engage effectively with a growing number of decision-makers?

One clear opportunity is working directly with metro mayors, many of whom have prioritised youth employment. For example, the Liverpool City Region’s Young Person’s Guarantee aims to offer jobs, training, or apprenticeships to young people out of work for six months or more. The government’s Get Britain Working White Paper also sets out plans for a national Youth Guarantee, ensuring every young person has the opportunity to earn or learn.

Devolution also provides a testbed for new approaches. The UK government’s Connect to Work programme is a good example. As part of the Get Britain Working strategy, it aims to support up to 100,000 people a year, helping those with disabilities, health conditions, or complex employment barriers into sustainable jobs. By working with local authorities, we can explore how initiatives like this could be adapted to meet the needs of young people facing similar challenges.

Of course, engaging with a more complex system of decision-makers requires effort, and achieving policy alignment across different areas isn’t always easy. But the potential benefits – more tailored, effective support for young people – make this work essential.

At Youth Futures, we’re ready to collaborate with devolved authorities, metro mayors, and local partners to ensure youth employment remains a priority. If you’re looking to test new ideas, build on existing evidence, or develop innovative solutions for evaluation, we are open for business! Together, we can make devolution work for young people across the whole of England.

Chris Goulden is Director of Impact & Evidence at the Youth Futures Foundation.