The offer is open to 18-to-25-year-olds who want to boost their education to GCSE or A-level standard. Ministers want to challenge the perception that a university education is the only one worth having.
And the Welsh Assembly Government is announcing a £70m scheme to provide apprenticeships in poor areas. Plans have been announced for 14,000 new training places targeted at young people in West Wales and the Valleys.
England's plans are aimed at overhauling the welfare and training system and improving skills. Every year, about 300,000 young people in England get to their 18th birthday without passing A-levels or equivalent qualifications
About a quarter of 19-year-olds fail to get five good GCSEs or vocational equivalent - the government's benchmark for basic secondary education.
18- to 25-year-olds in some parts of England who never passed A-levels or got good GCSEs will be given an online skills account with the equivalent of £7,000 in credits to spend getting those qualifications.
