We learned recently that the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training (a category known as NEET) is at its highest level in over a decade as it rapidly approaches one million. The current figure of 987,000 represents one in every seven young people aged between 16 and 24, and in the last year alone the figure has swelled by more than 100,000. So, why does the number of NEET young people keep growing and how can we rise to this most urgent of challenges?
The BUSY Group’s long experience of delivering education, employment and wellbeing services to young people tells us that the causes of NEET are both economic and social, that mental health plays an important role and that it is critical that we fix the education gaps that continue to exacerbate the situation.
To start with, it’s clear that the labour market has become a more challenging place for young people since the pandemic. A recent report by the CIPD (The Changing Face of the Youth Labour Market) confirms that changes in many of our staple industries have made it tougher for new entrants and those with limited work experience to find stable jobs. In addition, the Department for Education’s Labour Market for All data portal has, for some time, been highlighting a growing skills gap between what employers need and what many young people are bringing to the labour market.
The impact of these shifts is being disproportionately felt by young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those for whom mainstream education is failing to meet their needs. Data being gathered by Oxford University’s OCSI research team demonstrates that it’s not a level playing field and that getting into work, and retaining work, is becoming increasingly difficult for young people who don’t have the social capital or family backing that can frequently open doors to employment and opportunity.
With all this in mind, it’s hardly surprising that anxiety, stress and depression are on the rise amongst young people. Financial worries, early life failures and social isolation are all impacting young people’s capacity to engage effectively with training and employment. A recent survey of 2,500 young people by the Youth Futures Foundation showed that a third had a diagnosed mental health condition and of them 85% recognised that their condition was materially affecting their ability to find work or to prosper in work settings.
And what of the education system that is tasked with preparing young people for life and work? In July 2024, the government commissioned Professor Becky Francis to chair a panel reviewing how well the existing national curriculum is preparing young people for the workplace. The panel’s recently published interim report identifies a need for better support to prepare young people for life and work and pinpoints how the provision on offer disadvantages a large number of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Yet despite this range of challenges, The BUSY Group believes there is cause for optimism. Data from the annual Youth Index Survey by the King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust) shows that an overwhelming majority of the 4,000 young people it surveyed want to build a positive future for themselves as citizens and as part of the workforce even as they feel anxious on a daily basis about that future. Of those who were NEET, one out of every five (19%) said they were applying for jobs every day but their efforts were rarely successful. What this suggests is that a vast majority of young people are trying to get on but the system that is meant to support their transition into adulthood is letting them down.
So, how can we rise to this challenge?
It is becoming clear that approaches that directly address wellbeing, mental health and SEND needs, that acknowledge the differing needs of students and accommodate divergences is needed. To provide the personalised and intensive support that will prevent disengagement of those most at risk of falling into NEET and build bridges for them to transition securely into the world of work with the resilience to thrive there. Having established that platform, we need to prioritise employability and skills and to measure the success of our approaches against vital long-term outcomes such as employability, a stable income and career preparation.
It’s a model that The BUSY Group have been pioneering to great success in Australia and currently implementing in both South Wales and in the North East of England. From September we will be delivering this alternative schooling approach in both regions by providing dedicated, trauma-informed mentoring support both to school age pupils who have disengaged from education and to their carers or families. In addition, delivering alternative education provision through The BUSY School model, that will support learners at Key Stage 4 who are struggling to achieve in the traditional schooling system. The plan is also to develop complementary post-16 vocational provision in both regions to bridge the gap between education and employment by offering a 2-year vocational approach for 16 – 19 years olds that provides a bespoke experience of the world of work with essential english and Maths support.
As the number of young people unemployed or economically inactive moves rapidly towards the one million mark, we have little time to lose. Through The BUSY Group’s proven innovation, we can provide a model that is capable of addressing the complex set of challenges reflected in the recent NEET data. In doing so, we can provide young people who need it most with increased opportunities and the life skills they require to achieve happy and fulfilling futures.