Youth Hub FAQs

A Youth Hub is a relaxed place, often in a library, community centre or sports club, where you can get help with finding work. Most Youth Hubs are for 16 to 24 year olds, so the people who work there are focused on your age group. You can dress how you like and there's no security desk. Some Youth Hubs have a work coach, the same kind of person you'd see at the Jobcentre, but you'll usually have longer with them and it'll feel more like a chat than an appointment.

Most hubs on this site ask you to book first. A few let you just drop in during opening hours. Every Youth Hub's page on this site tells you which, so you'll know before you set off. If it says "You can just drop in", you can. If you're unsure, calling ahead is always fine.

What happens when you walk into a Youth Hub?

Not always. About half the hubs on this site say you can get help whether or not you claim any benefit. A few are only for people claiming Universal Credit, and for the rest we don't know yet. Each hub's page says where it stands when we know. If a hub near you is only for people claiming Universal Credit and you're not, call them and ask if you can come anyway.

Do I need to be on benefits?

Yes. Everything a Youth Hub offers is free, and you'll never be asked for money or card details. Using this site is free too. There's no account to set up and we never ask who you are.

Most Youth Hubs are for people aged 16 to 24. A few take a slightly different range, and each hub's page shows the ages it works with.

Of course. Bring whoever makes you feel comfortable. Plenty of people do. Once you're settled, you might find you're happy going on your own, and that's fine too.

Someone will say hello and ask what's brought you in. If you don't know exactly, "I'm looking for work and I don't know where to start" is a perfectly good answer. They'll ask your name and age and what you're interested in, and you'll sit down and talk it through. Ask anything you like. You can leave whenever you want.

What happens when you walk into a Youth Hub?

At many Youth Hubs, yes. Hubs try to give you one person who gets to know you, so each visit builds on the last. It depends on the hub and how they're staffed, so ask on your first visit. If it matters to you, say so. Youth Hubs are staffed by people who want to help, and they'll do their best.

Youth Hub workers are there for you, and what you talk about is treated as private. There's one exception, and it's the same for anyone who works with young people: if they think you or someone else is in danger, they have to tell someone who can help, and they should tell you they're doing it. If a work coach referred you, they'll know you came, because they arranged it. You don't have to share anything you'd rather keep to yourself, like your school or your home address.

Help with finding jobs, writing your CV, applying for jobs and getting ready for interviews. Most also help with training courses and apprenticeships, and many can connect you with local employers. Some go further, with support around money, housing or how you're feeling. Every Youth Hub's page on this site lists exactly what that hub offers.

A work coach is the person at the Jobcentre who helps with your job search if you claim Universal Credit. Some Youth Hubs have one on site. You don't need a work coach to use most hubs. If a hub's page says "Ask your work coach" and you already claim, ask your work coach at your next appointment. They'll know the hub and can set it up.

A Youth Hub gives you the things that lead to a job: a CV that works, applications that get read, interview practice, and often a direct line to local employers who are hiring. Some hubs run job fairs or have employers visit. The job itself is still yours to go and get. The hub's role is making sure you're ready and walking through the right doors.

That's normal at your age, and Youth Hubs see it every day. Nobody expects you to arrive with experience. They'll help you make a CV from what you do have, like school, volunteering, sport, hobbies or looking after family, and they'll show you how to talk about it in an interview.

This happens to almost everyone, and it says nothing about you. Some employers are slow to reply and some get too many applications to reply at all. A Youth Hub can look at what you've been sending and spot what's getting it filtered out, which is often something small and fixable. Bring two or three of the applications you've sent so they can see. They can also point you at jobs that are more likely to reply, and at employers they know personally.

Yes. Low confidence and anxiety are the most common things people bring through the door, and hub staff are used to it. Many hubs have someone who focuses on wellbeing, and some run groups where you can meet other people in the same position. You don't have to explain yourself. Just say you're finding it hard.

Many do. Some hubs have advisers for money, benefits and housing, and others can put you in touch with the right service nearby. Each hub's page shows what's on offer. If you're dealing with something that's making work hard to think about, say so early. It's often the first thing they'll want to help with.

If you go by your own choice, it changes nothing about what you receive. If your work coach referred you and put the hub in your claimant commitment, those appointments are part of your claim. Treat them like Jobcentre appointments: turn up, and if you can't, tell your work coach beforehand. Missing them without a good reason can affect your money, the same as missing a Jobcentre appointment.

New Youth Hubs open all the time, and we list them as soon as we find them. Until then, your nearest Jobcentre has work coaches for your age group, the National Careers Service (in England) is free by phone or webchat, and your local library has free computers and staff who know what's nearby. Every search on this site is counted, and towns with no hub that people keep searching for appear in the figures we publish, for anyone deciding where the next hubs should go.

What to do if there's no hub near you