TechFirst partners have pledged more than 10,000 learning and work-experience opportunities over three years, the UK government said Oct. 21, as it tries to widen access to entry-level technology jobs.
Among the partners named in the Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan are QinetiQ, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Cognizant, AtkinsRéalis, Arm and Kainos. The plan includes work experience, placements and learning in its total and gives no breakdown by employer. A separate government announcement describes the commitment as 10,000 work-experience placements.
The plan also sets a goal for employers to create or fill an average of 20,000 entry-level jobs each year for a decade, roughly 200,000 in all. Apprenticeships and some existing vacancies may count toward that goal; work-experience places do not.
TechFirst aims to reach 1 million secondary-school students by 2028, including 400,000 at the most disadvantaged schools. Its youth strand has £24 million over three years. The initiative builds on CyberFirst, an earlier skills program.
The Office for National Statistics estimated that 981,000 UK residents ages 16 to 24, or 13% of that age group, were neither working nor in education or training in April-June 2026. A government snapshot using LinkedIn hiring data found weak entry-level hiring across much of the UK labor market in April 2026 but did not establish AI as the cause.
The jobs plan says employers increasingly seek prior experience from new entrants and find it burdensome to offer opportunities through separate schemes. Young people are the intended beneficiaries, while participating employers must provide opportunities and supervision. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, “Everyone tells you that you need experience to get a job.”
Amazon also announced its Youth Promise for young people in the UK, pledging 30,000 entry-level jobs and more than 10,000 work-experience places by 2030.
The government plans annual progress reports and a comprehensive review three years after the plan’s publication. The next Office for National Statistics update on young people outside employment, education or training is scheduled for Nov. 26.
