University Alliance has submitted its evidence to the Young People and Work Review, which was commissioned by the government to understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), and make recommendations for policy responses aimed at increasing opportunities for young people.
Summary
Key barriers reported by Alliance universities include severe cost-of-living pressures (especially for disadvantaged young people), instability and churn in Level 3 and post-16 pathways, rising mental-health and neurodiversity profiles, employer short-termism, and fragmented support systems.
Our members highlight that the most effective solutions are those that are joined‑up, place‑based, stable over time and focused on reducing friction at transition points.
To reverse the rise in NEETs, UA recommends:
- Strengthening local, multi-agency coordination for 14-25-year-olds and ensuring higher education has a formal role in local skills planning.
- Reducing practical barriers to higher education through improving post-16
pathways and attainment, maintenance support, early Student Finance/DSA
application and transport.
- Establishing clearer, navigable routes into skilled work, including through
expanding learn-and-earn pathways such as degree apprenticeships and increasing employer engagement.
Professional and technical universities stand ready to help design and deliver that system in
partnership with regional and local partners – co-creating curricula with employers,
scaling learn-and-earn routes and stitching the system together at transitions.
With the right policy environment – stable, coordinated, and focused on equitable
progression – universities can play an important role in reversing the NEET trend and
supporting a generation into secure, meaningful work.
