Press Story

Fewer than half of young people (47 per cent) felt ready for work after education, finds IPPR

Growing number of NEETs points to a deepening opportunity crisis and risks undermining the government’s ambition to improve social mobility
IPPR calls for an expansion to the youth guarantee, to include access to work experience, apprenticeships and wage subsidies
Huge numbers of young people in Britain are entering adulthood without the preparation or support they need to succeed, worsening the NEET crisis, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

New research from the think tank shows that only 47 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds felt ready for work when they left education, compared with 60 per cent of over-26s. Despite more schools reporting that they offer high-quality work experience, two in five 18- to 24-year-olds have never completed any work experience. By contrast, earlier generations - those in their late 20s, 30s, and 40s - are significantly more likely to have done so.

The number of young people missing out on these opportunities could have implications for social mobility, with 60 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds agreeing that work experience opportunities usually rely on who you know, not what you know.

Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are already twice as likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) than their better-off peers and there is a risk of deepening this inequality.

With nearly one million young people aged 16–24 now NEET, an 11-year high, these findings point to a widening opportunity gap, where background plays an ever-growing role in shaping outcomes.

IPPR analysis suggests that delivering on the government’s opportunity mission – to break the link between a parent’s income and a child’s future prospects – will require a more ambitious and coordinated national effort.

To tackle the crisis, the report calls for a renewed social contract to include the principle that every generation should be better off than the last. It sets out a roadmap to achieve better outcomes for young people, with a real youth guarantee at its core: a national mission to ensure every young person has a fair chance to thrive.

The key recommendations include:

Boost readiness and opportunities for work: Bolster the careers education system, increasing access to work experience for those most at risk of becoming NEET via a short-term wage subsidy programme
Introduce an 80-hour enrichment entitlement and access to trusted adult relationships: Mirror the commitment to breakfast clubs in primary schools with after school clubs in secondary schools serving high-deprivation areas and roll out Young Futures Hubs to provide safe spaces for young people
Unlock access to apprenticeships: Set a national target for new apprenticeship starts, ringfence the Growth and Skills Levy for under-25s, and establish a new apprenticeship maintenance loan to remove financial barriers

Avnee Morjaria, associate director for public services at IPPR, said:

“The prime minister’s ambition to level the playing field for young people is absolutely right, but our data shows we are moving too slowly, and too many are being left behind.

“With almost a million young people now NEET, we need a serious plan to rebuild opportunity. That means support that doesn’t stop at the school gates – and a national effort to ensure every young person can thrive.”

Efua Poku-Amanfo, research fellow at IPPR, said:

“Young people’s futures shouldn’t be shaped by their background or postcode – but for too many, they still are. The public backs fair access to opportunities like apprenticeships and enrichment, but current policy isn’t delivering at the scale or speed needed. A real youth guarantee would help turn that around and show young people that we’re serious about their future.”

Farzana Begum, Youth Futures Foundation's Future Voices group ambassador, said:

"We are taught that we can do anything and be anything when we grow up, but the reality is that there are systematic barriers that limit many young people from accessing opportunities to thrive in education and employment. I want to see a future where young people are better supported throughout their journey into adulthood and are equipped with the skills necessary to navigate this pivotal transition. The recommendations made in this report provide policy makers with the building blocks towards a brighter future for all young people."

ENDS

Efua Poku-Amanfo and Avnee Morjaria, the report’s authors, are available for interview

CONTACT

David Wastell, director of news and communications: 07921 403651 d.wastell@ippr.org

Liam Evans, senior digital and media officer: 07419 365334 l.evans@ippr.org

Rosie Okumbe, digital and media officer: 07825 185421 r.okumbe@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The IPPR paper, Towards Universal Opportunity for Young People, by Jenna Norman, Efua Poku-Amanfo and Avnee Morjaria, will be available for download at: http://www.ippr.org/articles/towards-universal-opportunity-for-young-people

Advance copies of the report are available under embargo on request

IPPR commissioned Savanta to understand the following: public attitudes surrounding various issues relating to living and working in the UK; public attitudes surrounding young people and post-16 opportunities (including the transition to work/education); and the perspectives of 16-25-year-olds, including NEET respondents, relating to the above topics. Savanta delivered a 15-minute survey from 9th April to the 22nd of April, and a nationally representative sample of 16- to 75-year-olds among the UK public (n=3,603), including 42 NEETs. Quotas were used during fieldwork to ensure a representative sample of adults by age, gender, region, ethnicity, and socio-economic group. The final survey data was weighted to be nationally representative of adults in the UK by age, gender, region, ethnicity, and socio-economic group.

Our focus groups were undertaken in collaboration with Youth Futures Foundation. We spoke to young people aged 11-24 from across the UK. Interviews with young people were conducted online over April 2025.

IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the UK, IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society. www.ippr.org