Report says early work experience can reduce young people becoming NEET, but gaps remain

A new report finds that early work experience can lower the likelihood that young people become NEET, the term used for people who are not in employment, education, or training. The report suggests that providing work placements or similar early opportunities may help prevent hundreds of thousands of young people from falling into the group sometimes described as a “lost generation.” At the same time, the reporting highlights that access to these opportunities is not equal. It says some young people face barriers to getting work experience, which can limit the benefits of such programmes for those most at risk. The articles also warn that the scale of the challenge remains large, citing an estimate that around 800,000 more young people could join the NEET population by 2030. Overall, the coverage presents work experience as a potentially effective support for transitions into training and jobs, while pointing to persistent inequalities in who can access those pathways.