Over 1 million young people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in January - March 2026 - that's 1 in 8. The new interim report released on the 28th of May 2026 by the Department for Work & Pensions is highlighting how deep this issue is beyond the statistics - because each number represents a young person whose potential is going untapped, skills undeveloped, and whose future is less certain than it should be. 

Every young person should have access to opportunities to learn and earn - but the opportunity gap is bigger than we think.

Across the UK, access to work experience and industry exposure is deeply uneven. Young people in rural areas, those from lower-income households, or those attending schools without strong employer partnerships are far less likely to have had meaningful encounters with the world of work by the time they’re making post-16 choices. A common challenge identified by young people is a lack of opportunities to actively explore, discuss and reflect on different career pathways. Many are unaware of the full range of options available to them beyond more traditional routes such as university, and can find it difficult to connect their interests, skills and experiences to potential careers. With so many choices and limited exposure to the world of work, some young people feel uncertain about their future direction, which can lead to disengagement or a lack of confidence in taking their next steps.

What can make the biggest impact to support young people?

Many make career decisions based on the lack of a realistic path from where they are to where they want to be. When you can’t see the door, you don’t know to open it. Career advice plays a vital role in helping young people understand their options and make informed decisions. Alongside this, access to meaningful career exposure can help bring those options to life. Experiences that provide insight into what it's like to work in sectors such as engineering, healthcare or technology and that showcase the variety of routes into these industries, can help young people better understand the opportunities available to them and see how their interests and skills might align with future careers.

"The solution isn't just more jobs. It's helping them see themselves in those jobs in the first place."

The free online platform Springpod helps young people find their path. Springpod’s virtual work experience and career exploration programmes are specifically designed to reach young people to discover sectors they’d never considered, develop confidence to apply and build real skills with certification. In May 2026 we also released a report on how Springpod has generated £325M social value in 2025 alone.

Careers teams and teachers are doing extraordinary work with limited time, budget and resources, but it’s getting harder every year to access meaningful in-person work experience for every student. Integrating virtual work experience into the CEIAG offer is one of the highest-impact, smallest barrier opportunities that can be implemented. Springpod offers programmes completely free for students that can inspire, motivate and build confidence.

Virtual taster sessions on Springpod give universities a powerful way to reach those young people much earlier in their journey - at 14, 15, or 16 - when minds are still open and decisions haven't yet been made. Rather than waiting for students to come to you, taster sessions bring your courses, culture, and community directly to them.

If a young person you know is unsure about their next steps in education, training or employment, virtual work experience programmes can be a great way to explore different options and build confidence. They're not just for students in school or college they can also be valuable for young people who have experienced gaps in education, left education early, or faced challenges such as physical or mental health issues.

How businesses can be part of the solution

Through Springpod, businesses of all sizes can contribute meaningfully to solving this challenge in ways that work for them. Just one of them is building a virtual work experience programme that thousands of young people can access, giving them authentic insight into what it’s actually like to work in your industry.

Thousands discover new career paths on Springpod every month. The door is open. We're here to help young people walk through it.

Thousands discover new career paths on Springpod every month. Discover how to get involved.

A Record Number of Young People Are NEET - but it doesn’t have to stay this way