First jobs in Wrexham: why Jobsee is starting here
More young people in Wales are out of work and out of education than at any point in a decade. Here is why Wrexham is where Jobsee starts, and what is already there to help.
Getting a first job has become harder, and Wales feels it as much as anywhere.
In the year to December 2025, 17.0% of 16 to 24 year olds in Wales were not in education, employment or training. The Welsh Government says that is up 5.5 percentage points in a single year, back to a level last seen around 2013. Looking at the three years to December 2025 instead (the regional figures are averaged over three years because the survey samples are small), North Wales had the highest rate of the Welsh regions, at 15.1%. Both figures are estimates from the ONS Annual Population Survey, which the release notes has become more volatile.
Behind those numbers are people who want to work: school leavers, college students looking for weekend shifts, graduates who cannot get past "you need experience". That is who Jobsee is for, and it is why our pilot starts in Wrexham.
Why Wrexham
Because we can be there in person. Jobsee's founder, Mike Howard, is based in Wrexham. A jobs platform for young people only works when local employers trust it, and that trust is built face to face: in cafés, care homes, workshops, schools, colleges and job fairs, not just online.
Because there are a lot of young people looking for a start. Wrexham has a university, further education colleges and a large population of young people who need a first step: a weekend job, an apprenticeship, or a first full-time role.
Because the support is arriving now. In March 2026 the UK Government named Wrexham as one of 12 new Youth Hubs in Wales. Youth Hubs bring Jobcentre Plus, the council, employers and training providers together in one place for 16 to 24 year olds, with careers guidance, mental health and housing support, training, and links to employers with live vacancies. The local MP reported that the site in Wrexham is being chosen with the council.
Because Wales already has a guarantee for young people. The Welsh Government's Young Person's Guarantee offers 16 to 24 year olds support into work, training, education or self-employment. Its latest highlight report says more than 64,000 young people have been supported since it launched in 2021.
Jobsee does not replace any of that. It is the missing piece at the very end: the moment a young person who is ready to work meets a local employer who is ready to hire.
What help is already out there
If you are 16 to 24 and in Wrexham, these are worth knowing about now, before Jobsee opens:
| If you are… | Look at… |
|---|---|
| 16 to 19 and not in education, work or training | Jobs Growth Wales+, the Welsh Government's training and employability programme for 16 to 19 year olds. Working Wales can tell you if you qualify |
| 16 to 24 and want advice on any route | Working Wales, the Welsh Government's free careers and employability service |
| 18 to 24 and claiming Universal Credit | Your jobcentre work coach and the new Youth Hub. Employers who hire someone aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit and out of work for six months can get a Youth Jobs Grant of up to £3,000, which can make them more likely to say yes |
| Thinking about an apprenticeship | Your college's apprenticeship team, and the apprenticeship listings Jobsee will show when it opens |
What Jobsee will add
Most job sites were built for people who already have a CV full of experience. Jobsee is built the other way round:
- You start with what you could see yourself doing, not with a blank CV. Pick the kinds of work that interest you and Jobsee asks only the questions that matter for them.
- One application, sent in a tap. Jobsee builds a short application from your own answers and tailors the message to each employer from what you said. No AI writing it for you, nothing invented.
- Experience that counts. Sport, caring, volunteering and side hustles are turned into words an employer understands. (More on that in No experience? Here's what actually counts.)
- Free for young people, always. Employers pay, not you.
We are starting with sectors that hire young people locally and keep growing: hospitality and food, health and care, and the skilled trades. Others follow as employers join.
Help us build it properly
We would rather hear what is wrong now than after launch. If you are a student, a parent, a teacher or an employer in Wrexham, tell us what you honestly think: what would make you use Jobsee, and what would put you off.
And if you are looking for work, join the waitlist. You will be first in when the Wrexham pilot opens.
