A white paper promising the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation has been published today and is backed by a £240m investment which will see £55m go into revamping job centres.

Under plans from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, published in the Get Britain Working White Paper, a road map is set out to ensure every young person has access to an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities.

Key aspects will include an expansion of mental health support, while extra capacity is to be deployed to reduce waiting lists in areas blighted by the highest levels of economic inactivity.

Hailed as being crucial to the new government's pledge to achieve an 80% employment rate, the plan is being set out as stark figures show almost 1.5m people are unemployed, while more than 9m are inactive and a record 2.8m are out of work due to long-term sickness.

A DWP spokesperson added: "Young people have also been left behind with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, and 9m adults lack the essential skills they need to get on in work."

With the UK being the only major economy that has seen its employment rate fall over the last five years, the government sees the issue as largely driven by a significant rise in the number of people out of work due to long-term ill health, given "an outdated employment support system which is ill equipped to respond to this growing challenge".

They added: "This White Paper sets out a fundamentally different approach to the employment support system - backed by £240 million of investment - to target and tackle the root causes of unemployment and inactivity, and better join up health skills and employment support based on the unique needs of local communities."

Fixing the NHS will also be an essential tool for the repair, they added. "This includes deploying extra staff to cut waiting lists in areas of high inactivity, expanding access to mental health support, as well as a greater focus on prevention to stop people becoming ill in the first place."

Meanwhile, the "outdated" Jobcentre system will also be transformed into a new national jobs and careers service, focused on people's skills and careers instead of simply monitoring and managing benefit claims.

The white paper also launches plans to deliver a Youth Guarantee, providing acess for every young person to education or training, while the Apprenticeship Levy in England is set for transformation into a Growth and Skills Levy backed by £40m "to expand opportunities for young people to develop skills and get into work".

In further measures outlined today:

● An independent review will be launched into how employers can be better supported to employ people with disabilities,ensuring retention and a pathway for dignity, purpose and financial independence.

● Measures to overhaul the health and disability benefits system "so it better supports people to enter and remain in work" will be established to address a spiralling benefits bill. As part of this, a consultation will be published in spring 20205.

Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, said at the paper's launch: "From the broken NHS, flatlining economy, and the millions of people left unemployed and trapped in an inactivity spiral - this government inherited a country that simply isn't working. But today we've set out a plan to fix this. A plan that tackles the biggest drivers of unemployment and inactivity and gives young people their future back through real, meaningful change instead of empty rhetoric and sticking plaster politics.

He added that the reforms will "end a culture of blaming and shaming people who for too long haven't been getting the support they need to get back to work. Helping people into decent, well-paid jobs and giving our children and young people the best start in life - that's our plan to put more money in people's pockets, unlock growth and make people better off."

The Secretary of State, Liz Kendall MP added: "To get Britain growing, we need to get Britain working again. Our reforms will break down barriers to opportunity, help people to get into work and on at work, allow local leaders to boost jobs and growth, and give our children and young people the best opportunities to get on in life."

Showing that the government "stands unashamedly for work," she added: "We will make sure everyone, regardless of their background, age, ethnicity, health, disability or postcode can benefit from the dignity and purpose work can bring. We can build a healthier, wealthier nation - driving up employment and opportunity, skills and productivity - while driving down the benefit bill."

The DWP added that reforms "will be underlined by the principle that people who can work, will be expected to work with clear consequences if they don't properly engage with the government's employment support offer".

Alongside the paper, the government said it is now providing an additional £22.6bn of resource spending in 2025-26 for the Department of Health and Social Care to support the NHS in England in a plan to deliver an additional 40,000 elective appointments a week while making progress towards the commitment that patients should expect to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.

An additional 8,500 new mental health staff and expanded access to Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for severe mental illness, reaching 140,000 more people by 2028/29 is also planned, while a "prevention first" approach has been mapped out through an expansion of Talking Therapies, a landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill and a range of steps to tackle obesity.

Key to the £55m Jobcentre reforms, a new digital offer will be trialled using AI technologies to provide up-to date information on jobs and skills while freeing up work coach time. New coaching academies will also be set up to upskill jobcentre staff to better support people into work while CV advice will also be boosted.

The White Paper also unveils new partnerships with some of Britain's most iconic cultural and sporting organisations, including the Premier League, Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company, who will offer work or learning opportunities for the next generation.

Gloucestershire has not been picked out among the eight trailblazer areas for a shar of an extra £45m funding, but £15m will be made available to areas across England not getting this share, "so they can develop their own Get Britain Working Plan focused on reducing economic inactivity".