An open letter from our Youth Advisory Group to the Prime Minister on NEET Prevention

Members of our Youth Advisory Group (YAG) met with the Prime Minister at the launch of Sainsbury’s commitment to create 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people.

Dear Prime Minister,

We were delighted to meet you at the launch of Sainsbury's commitment to 10,000 work experience opportunities, and their partnership with the Institute for Grocery Distribution and CEC.

Some of us are members of the CEC’s Youth Advisory Group, a diverse group of dedicated young people working to ensure the careers system meets the needs of all young people. Others have been working with the Mayor's Fund for London, providing tens of thousands of young people each year with nutritious food, safe spaces, work experience and career insight opportunities.  

The food and drink sector is leading the way in connecting the place-based careers system to more opportunities that drive real change for young people in every part of the country.  

We also wanted to share a snapshot of our lived experiences. We share your thoughts in the need to:  

1. Galvanise and support place-based partnerships through a shared national strategy supporting NEET prevention.
2. Connect employers to education from the earliest point to remove barriers to access.
3. Use this infrastructure to forge deep connections between careers and skills pathways.

We look forward to working with you as you drive forward your ambitions to ensure every young person has a clear line of sight to their future, and greater access to high-quality technical and vocational pathways.

1. Rylie: “High-quality, local partnerships are key to reaching young people before disengagement becomes entrenched.”

You have outlined your ambition for regions, employers and educators to work together to create early experiences and pathways connecting young people to local opportunities and growth sectors.

We have seen the impact that ambitious local partnerships can have. By combining national support with local expertise, the careers system can broaden horizons, build skills and play an important role in NEET prevention. You saw the impact the London Careers Hubs, and their partnership with the Mayors Fund, can have when they connect young people to experiences in and out of school that build confidence and ambition. Through the CEC, we will continue to champion their work and compound their impact.  

We welcome your commitments and encourage you to build on this infrastructure, with young people at the heart of local decision-making and innovation. As the interim Milburn report outlined, local areas know their labour market and skills need best; listening to young people's experiences are crucial in designing systems that are responsive to need.  

2. Ava: “Young people need support earlier on to challenge ingrained stereotypes and barriers.”

Your plans to connect young people to work experience opportunities and quality technical pathways from age 14 is vital in preparing young people for the changing labour market.  

Young people who face additional barriers continue to report both lower confidence in essential skills and interest in in-demand occupations. Many of us have faced these barriers, whether that is time out of education, mental health concerns, or responsibilities as a young carer. These experiences can leave young people feeling isolated, limit what they believe is possible and place them at risk of becoming NEET. Poppy, a Youth Advisory Group Member from Manchester, recently wrote an open letter to you, where she shared:

“I was classed as a NEET when I left school at fourteen. The turning point for me came when I was given opportunities to rebuild my confidence and develop my skills. I am now 17 and happily completing my apprenticeship, which wouldn't be possible if employers hadn’t offered me a chance".

Early, sustained careers education and employer encounters can challenge stereotypes and broaden horizons before barriers become entrenched. In support of this, we are working with the CEC to activate high-quality work experience from Year 7. We therefore support your intention to use public procurement to create good jobs, develop skills and scale opportunities in every community, including targeted support for young people who are NEET. Compelling employers to engage earlier can create the critical mass needed to drive change and engage young people at the earliest point, before unequal access to experiences becomes unequal access to pathways and the labour market.

3. Faris: “I accessed my apprenticeship through a technical curriculum centred in local relevance, skills, and employer interactions.”

CEC’s Youth Advisory Group advised on the development of the modern work experience model, and we were pleased to see this embedded in your MBacc and reform plans. Work experience and access to technical pathways can transform how young people see their futures.

A crucial component of meaningful and flexible work experience is ensuring all experiences and employer touchpoints are underpinned by a shared and ambitious set of learning outcomes. Schools are working with their local Careers Hubs to embed relevance and skills into the curriculum. When done well, this is crucial in supporting more young people in accessing apprenticeship and technical pathways.  

A strong national careers system can support your ambitions. As Sainsburys have shown, the infrastructure and place-based relationships are key in creating locally responsive pathways and curricula that provide a clear line of sight to their future. Ensuring employers are enabled to engage in every locality will be crucial in driving access to pathways for every young person.  

Jonathan: “My work experiences opened my eyes to sectors and roles I'd never considered. Without these experiences; I wouldn't have known about the apprenticeship I have just started."

We thank you again for your time and open discussion. As you work towards a system that equips young people, like us, with the skills and knowledge that prepares all young people for exciting pathways and the jobs of the future, we look forward to working with you and ensuring youth voice remains at the heart of reform.

Faris, Member of CEC Youth Advisory Group (Aged 19, from Berkshire)  

Jonathan, Member of CEC Youth Advisory Group (aged 18, from Berkshire)  

Rylie Sweeney, Board Member, CEC (aged 20, from the North East)  

Ava, Board Member, CEC (Aged 21, from the North East)  

Jisan, Ali, Sarjo, Abubakbar, Rameez, Nobel: Young People aged 14 – 16 supported by the Mayors Fund for London