A leading UK education charity has issued a stark warning over a looming youth unemployment crisis, calling for urgent intervention to avoid creating a “lost generation.”
The call from Education & Employers comes as the OECD releases its global report, The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation, highlighting a worrying mismatch between young people’s career aspirations and the future job market.
Nick Chambers, CEO of Education & Employers, said:
“We need urgent action today to secure growth and full youth employment tomorrow.
This means immediately scaling up our efforts to help young people see what they can be.”
Inspiring the Future: A Scalable Solution
The charity runs Inspiring the Future, a national initiative bringing volunteers from all walks of professional life into schools to speak with pupils about their careers — either in-person or virtually.
- 452,000+ children and young people already benefit from the programme each year.
- 92,000 volunteers and 12,500 schools are involved nationwide.
- The programme has facilitated more than 4.9 million career interactions.
Chambers said even one hour a year from each volunteer can transform life prospects:
“Our research shows continuous interventions starting in primary school are crucial. The earlier children connect with real-world careers, the better they are prepared to pursue those paths.”
Call for Support
Education & Employers is now seeking national support to expand the programme to reach:
- 1 million young people annually, then
- 5 million, in order to match demand and mitigate the NEET crisis.
Chambers added:
“Now is the time for action to guarantee that our young people fully understand the opportunities open to them and that we have the future workforce we need to ensure a vibrant and prosperous economy.”
Youth Employment by the Numbers
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| NEET Young People (UK) | 987,000 |
| Career Aspirations Changed (25 yrs) | Minimal, per OECD |
| Volunteers in Inspiring the Future | 92,000+ |
| Schools Involved | 12,500 |
| Annual Interactions with Professionals | 452,000 |
| Total Career Conversations | 4.95 million+ |
