The publication of Alan Milburn’s interim review on young people and work should be a wake-up call for all of us.
With more than 1 million young people now classified as NEET, this is not simply a youth employment challenge. It is a challenge for our economy and our future workforce.
Across the City & Guilds Foundation network, partners have welcomed the review while highlighting an important reality: the evidence has been there for years. What we need now is collective action.
Our funded partner Groundwork points to the fragmented support systems, lack of entry-level opportunities and hidden barriers that prevent too many young people from progressing. At the same time, employers in growing sectors are reporting acute skills shortages. The challenge is not a lack of potential; it is a lack of connected pathways.
Spear, one of our funded partners and a Princess Royal Training Awards recipient, comments that behind every statistic is a young person whose ambitions and opportunities are shaped by the support they can access. Their work demonstrates what is possible when employability, confidence-building and employer engagement come together.
Laura-Jane Rawlings, Chair of the City & Guilds Foundation Transition Commission, has been clear that we need a better system for young people, employers and the wider ecosystem that surrounds them. Education, health, transport, community support and employment pathways all play a role. No single organisation can solve this alone.
And as Alex Hughes from Citizens Hub reflects, many organisations have been tackling these challenges for years, often with limited resources and against significant odds. The current spotlight matters because it validates what practitioners, communities and young people themselves have been saying for a long time.
At the City & Guilds Foundation, we believe this is where skills can make the difference.
Skills pathways provide a practical bridge between inequality and opportunity. They help young people facing barriers build confidence, develop capability and access meaningful work. They help employers access the talent they need. And they help address the UK’s long-standing productivity challenge by connecting untapped potential with labour market demand.
The Milburn Review gives us important data. Our responsibility now is to join up the evidence, listen to young people and employers, and use these insights to inform strategy, investment and collective action.