In a society that prides itself on opportunity, the growing number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) is a stark reminder that we are falling short.
Between April and June 2025, nearly 950,000 young people aged 16 to 24, 12.8% of the cohort, were NEET, according to the Office for National Statistics. This marks the sixth consecutive quarter the figure has exceeded 900,000, highlighting a deeply entrenched, structural issue that goes far beyond the aftershocks of the pandemic.
This isn’t just a statistical concern – it’s a human crisis. Over half a million of these young people have never held a job. Almost half will remain NEET a year later. These are not temporary setbacks; they are signs of systemic failure and long-term disengagement. The consequences are profound: wasted potential, fractured futures, and a growing divide in our society.
Good Growth Foundation research has found that Britons notice this acutely, as evidenced by polling and focus groups: a lack of opportunity is cited time and time again as a symptom of decline.
The NEET crisis is not evenly distributed. Young women are disproportionately affected, with 450,000 currently NEET. This gendered dimension of the issue demands targeted responses that consider the unique barriers faced by young women, including caregiving responsibilities, mental health challenges, and societal expectations.
Even more concerning is the situation for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These individuals face a ‘triple jeopardy’: compounding effects of disability, socio-economic disadvantage, and low qualifications.
The proportion of school leavers with SEND has risen sharply – from 7.9% in 2019 to 12.3% in 2022. In some areas, it’s now one in five. These young people are at the highest risk of becoming NEET, and too often, they fall through the cracks during the critical transition to adulthood.
This is where the further education (FE) and skills sectors become not just relevant, but essential. No other part of our education system supports more learners facing multiple layers of disadvantage. Colleges and training providers routinely educate higher proportions of learners with SEND, greater numbers from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those juggling care responsibilities, employment, or health issues.
This is both the sector’s strength and its burden. It underscores why professionalism, standards, and sustained investment in educators are not optional – they are vital. At the Education Training Foundation (ETF), we work with educators across the FE and skills sector to ensure they are equipped to meet this challenge. We know that the success of our system depends on the success of its people.
FE and skills educators are often the ones who:
But goodwill alone is not enough. These educators need to be trained, supported, and empowered to work with the complexity of today’s learners. They need to be part of a system that values their expertise and invests in their development.
Successful FE colleges at the centre of communities, solving complex challenges and providing visible opportunities, are also a surefire way to show people that good growth is happening on their doorstep. Upcoming research by the Good Growth Foundation shows that skills and training are perceived as practical, not just academic; they are trades-based and usually take place in the workplace or in further education colleges.
There is a substantial reward for a government that bolsters support for FE colleges and showcases that there is opportunity on the doorstep for all, especially in tackling NEET.
The need to earn and learn NEET can also be addressed by ensuring practical training is available in the workplace. Apprenticeships – which are often defined in the public eye as on-the-job training – are frequently cited as a key public priority for skills investment. Workplaces, if well equipped through the bolstered Growth and Skills Levy and other measures to empower employers, must also play their part in addressing the NEET crisis before it happens. Retaining staff and heavily targeting out-of-work candidates through entry-level training are tools in our NEET-busting arsenal.
To this end, tackling the NEET crisis requires more than just educational reform. It demands a whole-system approach that brings together education, health, employment, and social care. Being NEET is rarely a single-issue problem. It is often the result of a web of challenges – mental health issues, unstable housing, family responsibilities, or a lack of access to transport or digital tools.
We need coherent pathways that connect learning to real opportunities. That means aligning education with labour market needs, ensuring that young people can see a future for themselves in the skills they are developing. It also means creating local ecosystems of support, where services work together rather than in silos.
There is political momentum for change. Labour’s proposed Youth Guarantee for 18 to 21-year-olds promises access to training, apprenticeships, or tailored employment support. The plan includes two weeks of guaranteed work experience, stronger careers guidance, and devolved employment support. Liz Kendall, then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, also announced plans for 8,500 new mental health workers and reforms to jobcentres.
These are ambitious and welcome proposals. And as the Good Growth Foundation polling and focus groups show, there is political reward in taking action, too.
But ambition without infrastructure is a recipe for disappointment. Without real capacity in the FE and skills sector, the Youth Guarantee risks becoming an empty promise. Guarantees must be grounded in provision that exists, in staff who are resourced, and in systems that include rather than exclude.
To make this work, we need:
If we fail to act, the consequences will be severe. We risk creating a generation scarred by exclusion from education and work. We risk a system that constantly fights fires rather than building futures. And we risk deepening the inequalities that already divide our society, where people are hungry for visible signs of transformation.
This should keep us awake at night. Because behind every statistic is a young person with dreams, potential, and the right to a future. This crisis is not inevitable. It is the result of choices – policy choices, funding decisions, and societal priorities.
So we must ask ourselves, how do we:
At the recent Labour Party Conference, the Prime Minister declared that Further Education – and apprenticeships especially – would be a defining cause of this government. That is the right ambition. But it will only be realised if the government partners with the FE and skills sector – its educators, leaders, employers, and ETF, its professional body – to deliver on the promise.
Because the truth is simple: you cannot build opportunity on underfunded systems, or inclusion on exhausted goodwill.
If we get this right, we do more than reduce the NEET figures. We build a generation of skilled, confident young people ready to shape their futures – and through them, the future of our country. We create a society where no young person is written off, where every individual has the chance to thrive, and where education is truly a ladder of opportunity.
The NEET crisis is urgent, but it is not insurmountable. With the right investment, collaboration, and commitment, we can break the cycle. And in doing so, we can build a more inclusive, resilient, and hopeful future for all.
Jade Azim, Sal Copley and Dr Vikki Smith spoke at the NEET dedicated event, Breaking the cycle, in October 2025.
Watch the whole event on YouTube and leave your thoughts in the comments section.
The Education Training Foundation is the professional body for the further education and skills workforce, providing trusted insight, support and connection across every role and region. Through training, resources, peer networks and shared standards, we help individuals, organisations and the system stay confident, connected and ready to make a lasting difference.
The Good Growth Foundation is a think tank on a mission to crack the politics of economic growth, unlocking solutions to deliver prosperity that people can feel. We champion popular, practical and fair policies that drive sustained growth, raise living standards and create opportunity for all.
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