Nearly one million 16-24 year olds across the UK today are not in employment, education or training. There are many drivers of the recent rise in NEETs, from the costs of hiring to worrying trends in young people’s mental health. But the UK has long had a higher NEET rate than many other advanced economies, and so we also need to look deeper at structural issues like the education and benefits systems. With Alan Milburn’s independent review into tackling the NEETs challenge currently underway, now is the time to think how we can really improve the transition from education to employment for young people today. To what extent are young people today disadvantaged in the labour market? How could the benefit system be reformed to improve outcomes for young people? Why does post-16 education continue to let down those not taking the traditional A-levels to university path? And what would a holistic package to address our NEETs problem look like? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from major new research on Britain’s NEETs challenge, we will hear from leading experts on how policy makers can give young people today the career kickstart they need. The event will be open for people to physically attend, alongside being broadcast via YouTube and the Resolution Foundation website. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event via Slido.
