The stark picture of a growing NEET crisis
“I told myself I couldn’t work in a place like that. With the encouragement I started to ease into the work and believed in myself that I just needed to start”
The publication of Alan Milburn’s report on young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) paints a worrying picture of a growing youth employment crisis. The report highlights that one million young people in the UK are now Neet, and this number is set to rise to 1.25 million within five years’ time unless urgent action is taken.
At the centre of Milburn’s report is a systemic problem: young people are being failed by a combination of structural inequalities, limited access to opportunity, mental health challenges and a labour market that demands experience before offering it.
One of the most pressing issues surfaced in the report is that the first rung of the career ladder is out of reach for many young people. Advertised roles increasingly require a higher level of experience and at the same time, entry-level jobs are becoming harder to get traditionally filled by younger people are now scarer or more specialised. [Source]
“Young people are being failed by a combination of structural inequalities, limited access to opportunity, mental health challenges and a labour market that demands experience before offering it.” ~ Alan Milburn’s report, May 2026
Milburn’s report also finds that employers are more hesitant to take on younger staff, with concerns connected to higher minimum wages and a perception that hirings young people comes with additional pastoral care. [Source]
Bringing the employment gap for young people in Islington
This national picture is felt disproportionately in Islington. In our borough, 43% of young people are living in poverty. Impetus’s latest Youth Jobs Gap, published in May 2025, found that young people in Islington were 120% more likely than average to be Neet, the third highest likelihood in the UK.
“This finding is particularly interesting as Islington…hold[s] enormous amounts of wealth. It also discredits the concept that living in the capital and certain other urban centres will necessarily translate into better education, employment or training (EET) outcomes…One potential reason for this could be fewer opportunities, alongside more competition for roles, in London.” Impetus
Since 2021, we have worked with The Macquarie Group Foundation to develop a programme that responds directly to the need for meaningful, paid work experience for young people and those further from the employment market.
Islington Giving’s Jobs Placement Programme is built on a simple premise: to connect young people and those furthest from the labour market with paid, meaningful work experience and sustained support, while reducing the risk for employers to take on young people.
200-hour placements with local businesses offer a direct route into employment for those who might otherwise remain excluded. Placements are paid at the London Living Wage, funded by Macquarie Group Foundation and brokered by community partners who have existing trusted relationships with young people. Young people are matched with a sector that fits their interests, and embedded within real workplaces across sectors such as IT, creative industries, hospitality and marketing.
“Young people in Islington were 120% more likely than average to be Neet, the third highest likelihood in the UK.” ~ Impetus’s latest Youth Jobs Gap, May 2025
Unlike traditional short-term or unpaid work experience, these placements are structured and substantial. By providing that first foothold in the labour market, the programme breaks a key barrier to employment that traps many young people in inactivity.
Through this programme, since 2021, 86 local people have taken part in a job placement with 34 local businesses and community organisations.
Of the 79 completed to date, 43% have gone on to secure employment as a direct result of their placement. Multiple employers, including Open Creates, have provided additional mentoring and progression routes including funding extended internships. Other participants have progressed into other forms of training or are actively seeking work with an enhanced CV and skills.
Businesses who took on placements have included:
Open Creates, ProCeption (via Derwent), Almeida Theatre, Into Games, Voices Radio, Woodburner music, Genuine Dining, dMFK and Paragon, and paid IT support roles with local SMEs and community centres, including Stopwatch, Mara Facility Services, Ravens Wood School, Azzuri Group and Employability Solutions.
From NEET to employment: tackling detachment
Milburn’s report emphasises that youth unemployment is not just about a lack of jobs, but also about detachment from the labour market, with many young people never having had a job or unsure how to start, feeling that there is nothing for them. [gov.uk]
The Islington Giving Jobs Placement Programme actively targets local residents who are marginalised, NEET, from low-income household, or facing additional barriers such as mental health challenges or learning needs. By working with trusted community partners including Local Village Network, Peoples Place Community Partnership, Creative Opps, and Cook for Good, the programme reaches young people who statutory systems often struggle to engage. Additionally, the placements can add value to partner organisations’ existing programmes, integrating placements into training pathways and offering wider benefit through direct, paid work experience.
“The Islington Giving Jobs Placement Programme actively targets local residents who are marginalised, NEET, from low-income household, or facing additional barriers such as mental health challenges or learning needs.”
Beyond the statistics, many young people who have taken part in the programme have fears about entering an unknown workplace, low confidence and uncertainty about how and where to begin building meaningful experience. With community partners brokering placements – organisations with which young people already have a trusted relationship – they can ensure that the right type of placement is found for each young person, encourage them to take the often intimidating first steps, and be there to support them throughout the process.
As a result, the programme does more than place individuals into roles. It provides wraparound support – including mentoring and help navigating the benefits system – addressing factors at the root of disengagement, including anxiety, low self-belief and structural disadvantage.
“I was scared and I told myself I couldn’t work in a place like that. Encouragement from Cook for Good helped me so much and helped me believe in myself that I just needed to start.” Programme Participant
Benefits for participants
- New professional skills: Participants gain technical, creative and vocational skills and build experience in specific sectors
- Personal growth and increased aspirations: Participants have overcome anxieties about the workplace, gained confidence and self-belief, and have greater clarity on career aspirations
- High progression rates: Placements lead to sustained employment, ith some delivery partners seeing all of their participants progress into skilled roles
“My confidence, skills and self-belief have all developed since starting [the] internship, and [I’m] confident it will help secure further roles in the future”. Programme Participant who secured ongoing employed with Finsbury Park Trust following the placement.
Reducing risk for employers and building a pipeline of local talent
Thanks to funding from The Macquarie Group Foundation covering placement salaries, the Islington Giving Jobs Placement Programme also provides a model for larger corporates supporting smaller businesses.
With the placements subsidised and participants supported throughout by a trusted community partner, it lowers the risk for employers and ensures a breadth of opportunities available for young people. They can offer a supported, time-limited placements where businesses can trial candidates before committing to hiring. This model has proven highly effective in encouraging employers to engage with talent they may previously have overlooked. [theguardian.com]
At the same time, employers benefit from access to a pipeline of motivated local candidates, creating a mutually beneficial system that strengthens the local economy.
“Unlike shorter internships completed previously, this one gave continuity to develop both technical and interpersonal skills, while also being exposed to the realities of a small creative practice.” This young person continued to benefit from freelance opportunities with the employer after the placement officially ended.
The costs
Each 200-hour placement costs around £3,800, including salary to the young person and admin costs paid to the community partners.
According to the report, the lifetime cost to the exchequer from a young person not in education, employment or training between the ages of 18 and 24 was £29,000 a year on average. [Source]
Conclusion
The picture painted by Alan Milburn’s report is one of deep systemic failure – inequalities of wealth, education and access to support that disproportionately affect young people in Islington.
The report also makes clear what we and our community partners see every day: most young people who are Neet want to work, but what they lack is access, support and opportunity.
“Being paired with a company and role that suited my interests has had a massive positive impact on my life.” Mehmet
Islington Giving’s Jobs Placement Programme demonstrates that when these elements are put in place – through paid work, trusted relationships, employer engagement and tailored support – young people can and do move into sustainable employment.
We are actively seeking new partners in this work, to expand the programme’s reach and unlock untapped potential in our borough.
If you are a local employer who is interested in taking on a placement, or would like more information about the programme, please get in touch with Isobel.Miller@islingtongiving.org.uk.
