Home›Global Markets›North America›UK welfare chief says families can get £4,500 for appr…

UK welfare chief says families can get £4,500 for apprenticeships

The plan would offset benefit losses for some households by compensating for a system penalty tied to the child component of universal credit.

Reported · Written up by our desk · North America

UK work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said young people would be expected to engage with new work support, linking access to support with proper participation, according to the Guardian Business. McFadden also announced new funds designed to prevent families in England from losing benefits when teenagers take up apprenticeships. He said the bursary, described as about £4,500 for eligible families, is meant to compensate for a “quirk” in the system where benefits can fall if an apprenticeship salary is lower than the benefits being lost.

The outlet reported that the penalty is most likely to affect single parents or disabled teenagers under 18, because families can lose the child component of universal credit. McFadden said the difference can be significant in individual cases, with apprenticeship pay of £258 a week compared against lost benefits of £340 a week, leaving families facing a gap of about £80 a week that the bursary would help address.

McFadden said the welfare reform effort would combine opportunities and expectations, while Andy Burnham, referenced by the Guardian Business, said the broader goal is to tackle rising youth unemployment and pursue fundamental changes to emphasize technical and vocational skills. Both leaders, the article said, are determined to reform the welfare system.

More like this

Sources