One in Six UK Young People Risk Being Shut Out of Work and Education

A new warning about young people in the UK is not just about unemployment. It is about a growing group at risk of being left outside the routes that usually lead into adulthood: work, training, apprenticeships, college, university, confidence, and a first real chance to build independence.

A government-commissioned review led by Alan Milburn warns that the share of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training could rise from around one in eight now to one in six within five years. That would mean about 1.25 million young people falling into the NEET category, raising fears of a long-term “lost generation” if the system does not change.