Jobs Guarantee
The Jobs Guarantee will provide a fully subsidised six-month paid job to eligible 18–21 year olds who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. Through the scheme, the government will fund 100% of eligible employment costs for 25 hours a week at the relevant minimum wage, alongside wrap-around support to help participants succeed on the scheme and transition into sustained employment. Beginning with Phase One from Spring 2026, the Department for Work and Pensions will award grants to selected delivery organisations in the following areas: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales.
- Opening date:
- Closing date: (Midnight)
Contents
Summary
The aim of the Jobs Guarantee is to provide participants with meaningful paid work that will give them the skills and experience they need to take a crucial step towards sustained employment. Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee is expected to commence in April 2026 once Grant Funding Agreements are signed with successful applicants. Job starts under Phase One are then expected to occur between April 2026 and October 2026, with the final six month job finishing by 30 April 2027. Final payments will be made by the end of July 2027 before the first phase will close in August 2027.
In Phase One the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will award grants to selected grant recipients ("delivery organisations") who will work with DWP to deliver the guarantee in their area. The areas for Phase One are aligned to JobCentre Plus districts and existing Local Administration or Mayoral boundaries. The specific areas are set out in the grant guidance.
There will be one lead successful applicant per area, though organisations can work in partnership with other organisations, such as specialist service providers, to deliver the Jobs Guarantee in their area. For each area, the successful applicant will be expected to accept an agreed number of referrals from DWP between April 2026 and October 2026 inclusive. Subject to the capacity of the DWP and Delivery Organisations there may be scope to increase the referral numbers in line with the terms of the Grant Funding Agreement.
Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee scheme provides grant funding for employers for six months paid work under the scheme ("Funded Employment") and associated onboarding costs. It also provides funding (maximum of £2,650 per participant) for delivery organisations to provide wrap-around support for eligible young people participating in the scheme and to cover administration costs associated with the delivery of the scheme.
A post-launch webinar to take questions from interested parties will be held on 5 February at 10am – please sign-up here. This will be followed by weekly drop-in sessions, details for which will be provided following the first webinar.
Further information is set out in the grant guidance.
Eligibility
DWP welcomes applications from a wide range of organisations with experience delivering employment, skills, youth, or wraparound support services, including but not limited to:
Specialist employment support organisations,
Charities, nonprofits, and social enterprises,
Local authorities,
Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs).
We welcome applications made in partnership across organisations. Applications that do so should clearly state the lead organisation that will hold the relationship with DWP and responsibility for the grant, and outline how they will work in partnership with others to deliver the grant objectives.
Organisations can bid for all six areas but will only be awarded the grant as the lead delivery partner in a maximum of two of the phase one delivery areas for the Jobs Guarantee. However, should you want to discuss delivery through other partners in more than two areas, please contact us to discuss your plans.
A separate bid will be required for each area.
The general requirements of delivery organisations are detailed in the grant guidance.
Applicants must confirm they are able to comply with the requirements of the scheme and by applying are confirming they are eligible for the scheme.
Objectives
The aim of the Jobs Guarantee is to provide participants with meaningful paid work that will give them the skills and experience they need to take a crucial step towards sustained employment.
The objectives of the Jobs Guarantee are to:
Ensure that every eligible young person is guaranteed a suitable job – with the right number of jobs and the right type of jobs provided in the right places at the right time.
Ensure that eligible individuals on the scheme have the support that they need to address their barriers to employment, so that they are able to gain skills and experience from 6 months of continuous employment that will help them make the transition into sustained employment.
Dates
Application window will open on Find a Grant:
29 January 2026 11:00am
Information Session on Application Process – sign up here.
(To note, this will be followed by weekly drop-in sessions. Further details will be shared following the first webinar):
5 February 2026 10:00am
Deadline for Clarification Questions from interested parties:
20 February 2026 12:00pm
Published responses to Clarification Questions:
Weekly during bidding window
Deadline for Grant Application Submissions:
23:59pm 28 February 2026
Proposed funding award notification:
April 2026
Expected commencement date of Jobs Guarantee Grant Funding Agreement:
April 2026
How to apply
Applications must be submitted through the Find a Grant application form.
Supporting information
Links to the following supporting documents are available through Find a Grant:
Grant Guidance
Application Instructions and Assessment Criteria (within this form)
DWP will host a post-launch webinar to take questions from interested parties. This will be held on 5 February at 10am - please sign-up here.
If you require support or clarification in relation to the Grant guidance or your application, please contact dwp.jobguaranteeteam@DWP.GOV.UK.
Grant Funding Agreement
File type: pdf
Grant Funding Agreement.pdf (768 Kb)
Jobs Guarantee Grant Guidance
File type: pdf
Jobs Guarantee Grant Guidance .pdf (381 Kb)
Jobs Guarantee Application Form and Guidance
File type: pdf