Under 25s will be able to claim unemployment benefits while on training courses, work and pensions secretary Peter Hain has announced.

Young people taking part in Get Into courses, run by the Prince's Trust, will be eligible for Jobseekers Allowance.

The short, intensive courses cover a variety of sectors and aim to help unemployed 16-25s get the skills and experience they need to get into work.

Hain told delegates at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth: "We have to do more to ensure that young men, particularly in our inner cities, do not fall into a cycle of economic inactivity and social exclusion.

"That is why I am pleased to announce that Jobcentre Plus has signed an agreement with the Prince's Trust that will mean our most disadvantaged young people will be able to access the Trust's fantastically successful Get Into programmes while retaining the financial support of benefit."