What the Milburn Review
gets right about
NEET prevention

With the final recommendations of Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work report expected soon, conversation around young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) has rightly gained national attention. Nearly one million young people are currently NEET across the UK, prompting growing recognition that we need to think differently about how we tackle youth disengagement.

The impact of early intervention

One of the most encouraging aspects of the debate so far has been the focus on earlier intervention. Recent comments from Alan Milburn suggest that employers should play a greater role in helping primary-aged children understand the world of work. Alongside making efforts to identify those who may be at greater risk of disengagement later in life. His argument is based on a simple premise: intervention needs to happen before barriers become entrenched, not after young people have already disengaged..

Employer engagement

Schools have long been expected to carry much of the responsibility for preparing young people for their futures. While they play a vital role, they cannot tackle this challenge alone. Employers have an equally important contribution to make.

Employers can help young people connect classroom learning with the opportunities that exist beyond school and broadening their understanding of what is possible. Young people are constantly forming opinions about where they belong and what opportunities might be available to them. Those perceptions are influenced by stereotypes, peer pressure and limited exposure to different industries and careers. By the time many reach secondary school, assumptions about which pathways are “for people like me” can already be taking hold.

That is why employer engagement matters. We are not asking children to decide what career they want, nor suggesting that every interaction should lead directly to employment. Sometimes the most valuable outcome is simply exposing a young person to something they have never considered before, or have never even heard of. Meeting professionals from different sectors, hearing authentic stories and seeing how skills are applied in the workplace helps make learning feel more relevant and tangible.

Shaping Our Future

We see this impact through programmes such as Shaping Our Future, our NEET prevention pilot. One student, Ethan, met a volunteer from Jet2 at the programme launch, and then spent the summer researching what GCSEs he might need to become a pilot. It is a simple example, but a powerful one. A single interaction helped turn a career he may never have considered into a realistic ambition.

Shaping Our Future has shown how employer engagement can help raise aspirations, build confidence and strengthen engagement with learning. Despite the investment required from employers often being relatively small, schools are already reporting positive changes, including improvements in attendance and fewer suspensions among participants.

Green Innovators

And the opportunity to make this impact can start even earlier. Through our Green Innovators programme, delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. During this programme, we worked with primary-aged pupils to connect them with employers and careers to the green economy. The results underline the value of introducing the world of work early. 97% of participants said that the programme increased their knowledge of the opportunities available to them. 84% said that they were now more interested in joining the workforce.

There is also a compelling case for employers. At a time when many sectors are concerned about talent pipelines, skills shortages and workforce diversity, engaging with young people is an investment in the future workforce. The businesses that inspire and support young people today are helping to develop the skills, ambition and talent they will need tomorrow.

Investing in prevention

Much of the debate around tackling NEET focuses on supporting young people after they have already disengaged. That support is essential and will always be needed. However, if we are serious about reducing the number of young people who become disconnected from education, employment or training, we must also invest in prevention.

This challenge cannot be solved by one sector alone. It requires genuine collaboration between employers, schools and government.
For more than 20 years, we have brought together schools, employers and communities. Together, we’ve created experiences that build confidence, broaden horizons and strengthen young people’s connection to future opportunities.

Small investment, large impact

We see every day the difference these experiences can make. Young people are discovering industries they knew little about, developing greater confidence in their own potential and becoming more engaged in their learning as a result.

We’ve also seen the impact through Shaping Our Future, our NEET prevention pilot. Working with young people identified as being at risk of becoming NEET as early as age 12, employers have helped participants build confidence, raise aspirations and reconnect with learning. Often, the investment required from employers is relatively small, but the impact can be significant.

We’re in this together

The final report from Alan Milburn will undoubtedly prompt important discussions about structures, systems and accountability. It is likely to shape how government, local authorities, schools and employers work together to address the challenge of youth disengagement.

But whatever recommendations emerge, one thing feels increasingly clear: preventing disengagement starts long before a young person leaves school.

The employers we work with understand that opening young people’s eyes to opportunity is not somebody else’s responsibility. It is a contribution that businesses are uniquely placed to make. And if we are serious about reducing the number of young people who become NEET, helping young people understand what is possible must be part of the solution.

Would you like to find out how you can get involved in NEET prevention? Please fill out the form below.