Insight: From NEET risk to workforce pipeline

Concern about how young people move from education into work is growing, and for good reason. With close to one million young people currently not in education, employment or training, the question is not whether the system needs to do more, but where it needs to act first, writes Tom Hoines, Energy Services Director for Reed Environment.

Behind the statistics are individuals with ambition and potential who too often lack a clear, supported route into adult life. If we are serious about tackling economic inactivity and delivering on ambitions such as the Youth Guarantee, we need to focus more attention on where those journeys begin.

For many young people at risk of becoming NEET, established routes into work or training are not immediately accessible. What is often missing is a credible, structured first step – particularly at Levels 1 and 2 – that builds confidence, develops core skills and creates a clear pathway into sustained employment.

At Oxford Energy Academies, we have seen the impact this can have through our work supporting the Tools for Tomorrow programme in Witney. Delivered over six months in a dedicated trade training facility, the programme supported young people who had disengaged from education and were some distance from the labour market. Learners completed a fully funded Level 2 Plumbing qualification alongside employability support including CV writing, interview preparation and work experience placements with local employers. Financial barriers were removed through funded travel, food, tools and equipment.

The outcomes demonstrate what can be achieved with the right approach. Two-thirds of learners successfully completed the programme, with a third already progressing into employment and Level 3 heating and plumbing apprenticeships. Many participants overcame significant barriers, including low confidence, learning difficulties, limited work experience and negative perceptions of education or employment environments.

This matters because entry-level provision is not a marginal issue, it is central to how we build a more inclusive and responsive skills system. Early intervention works when it is structured, practical and aligned with real labour market opportunities.

That alignment is becoming increasingly important as demand grows in sectors such as construction and the wider green economy. Employers need entry-level talent with the right foundational skills and behaviours, creating a clear opportunity for Level 1 and 2 pathways to support both workforce development and wider green skills ambitions.

At present, however, the system makes it too difficult to deliver this kind of provision at scale. Access to funding for Levels 1 and 2 remains constrained, particularly for providers with strong employer links and a proven track record of delivery. Expansion often depends more on existing funding structures than on demonstrated demand or learner need.

The result is that opportunities for young people, employers and local economies can all be missed. Where entry-level pathways are underdeveloped, young people risk falling out of the system altogether, while employers continue to face persistent skills shortages.

The solution does not require wholesale reform. But it does require a more flexible approach: more accessible funding routes for high-quality entry-level provision, stronger alignment between funding and labour market demand, and greater scope for innovative providers and partnerships to respond where need exists.

These are pragmatic changes, but they would make a meaningful difference, opening up routes into work for young people currently at risk of being left behind, while helping build the workforce pipeline the economy increasingly needs.

We do not need to rebuild the system from scratch. But we do need to ensure it works at the point where it matters most: at the start of the journey.