Andy Burnham has said the UK must “invest in success” rather than “failure through the benefits system” as he set out his commitment to end the youth unemployment crisis.

The prime minister described the number of young people not in employment, education or training (Neet) as an “economic catastrophe and a moral failure”.

Almost one million young people are currently classed as Neet, according to the Office for National Statistics, contributing to the size of the welfare bill and making efforts to boost youth employment a key priority for the government.

Pledging to guarantee young people support “up front”, the prime minister wrote in : “We face a choice. We either invest in the success of our young people or pay for failure through the benefits system. We cannot afford to do both. I choose the first.”

He added: “Today, the welfare system provides an assessment, a payment and, after that, a goodbye. Too often there is no support, no offer of skills and no opportunity to get a job.”

The government is expected to publish a series of “jobs plans” for key sectors over the course of the week, beginning with the professional services and construction industries.

The plans will see 22,400 apprenticeships a year made available by accountancy, legal services and consultancy firms for under-25s.

Further jobs plans for the digital, technology and defence industries are expected to be published later in the week.

The plans come ahead of the publication of a report into the Neet issue from former cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who is expected to make a series of recommendations after the Budget at the end of October.

Speaking to , Mr Milburn suggested his report was likely to recommend cutting benefit spending in order to channel the money into supporting people back into work.

He said: “We’ve got to have a different conversation about the welfare system; it just isn’t working for young people.

“We need to redistribute money from the welfare system to more employment support if we are going to end the Neet crisis.”

Mr Milburn also called for employment, mental health and benefits support to be more integrated.

He said: “Over the medium term, it is entirely possible that you can reduce the benefits bill, but in order to do that, you’ve got to provide the support for young people.

“You’ve got to increase the opportunities that are available for young people and then provide the support for them to enable them to grab those opportunities.”

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said: “Too many young people have been locked out of opportunities for too long. These commitments will help change that by creating clear pathways into apprenticeships, training and good jobs.

“It’s encouraging to see even more industries backing young people with new opportunities to gain the skills, training and experience needed to succeed in the growing sectors of our economy.”

Shadow business secretary Julia Lopez said: “Labour have been a disaster for youth jobs.

“Their tax hikes and red tape have made it harder for businesses to hire, invest and grow, destroying opportunities for young people looking to take their first step on the career ladder.

“After increasing costs on employers and burdening firms with more red tape, Labour are now trying to paper over the cracks.”