I Cannot Stand By And Watch A Generation Lose Belief”: Chelmsford Businessman Bradley Chapman Launches I’M MORE

After 35 years of building businesses, developing teams and training more than 20,000 people, Bradley Chapman is putting his commercial experience and personal journey of transformation behind a new movement for young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training.

Chelmsford, Essex, 5 July 2026: Chelmsford businessman, entrepreneur, coach and mentor Bradley Chapman has launched I’M MORE, a founder-led movement created to help young people recognise that they are more than their present circumstances, more than the labels placed upon them and more than what can be communicated through a conventional CV.

The movement is beginning in Chelmsford against a national backdrop in which an estimated 1,012,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training, known as NEET, between January and March 2026.

The latest Office for National Statistics figures represent 13.5 per cent of all young people within that age group. The estimated number increased by 89,000 compared with the same period in 2025.

For Chapman, however, I’M MORE did not begin with a government report, a business plan or a national statistic.

It began with a deeply personal question.

What is the purpose of spending more than 35 years building businesses, developing people and overcoming adversity if that experience cannot now be used to help somebody else find their way forward?

“At the heart of I’M MORE, I am simply a man sitting behind a desk in Chelmsford with a dream, a vision and a belief that everything I have experienced can now be used to help somebody else.”

“I am more than a business consultant. I am more than an entrepreneur. I am more than the suit people see, the businesses I have worked with or the achievements that may appear within my professional biography.”

“I am a human being, a father and somebody who understands what it feels like to question where your life is going. I also understand what it takes to keep turning up when you feel depleted and to begin rebuilding when the future you once imagined appears to have disappeared.”

During his career, Chapman has trained, coached and mentored more than 20,000 people. He has worked with individuals at the beginning of their careers, established business owners, senior executives, public personalities, global brands and billionaire entrepreneurs.

He has helped create businesses, develop leadership teams, strengthen brands and support people through periods of commercial and personal transformation.

He now wants to direct that experience towards young people who may never previously have been given the opportunity to demonstrate what they are capable of becoming.

“I have spent decades walking into businesses and seeing potential before everybody else can see it. Sometimes that potential exists within a company, a product or an idea. Very often, it exists within a person.”

“Many young people have never had anybody look beyond their current circumstances and say, ‘I can see something in you.’ That moment can alter the direction of a life.”

More Than A Statistic

Chapman believes the language surrounding young people who are NEET can sometimes unintentionally create another label that becomes attached to the individual.

NEET is the official acronym for a person who is Not in Education, Employment or Training. It describes their current economic and educational position. It does not describe their character, intelligence, ability or future potential.

“A young person may currently be classified as NEET, but that is where they are today. It is not who they are, and it does not have to determine where they will be tomorrow.”

“I’M MORE means I’m more than my circumstances. I’m more than my past. I’m more than my anxiety. I’m more than the rejection I have experienced. I’m more than the CV that does not yet show what I could become.”

A government-commissioned review into young people and work has warned that six in ten young people who are NEET have never held a job, compared with four in ten in 2005.

The review also estimated that the combined annual cost to the country associated with almost one million young people being detached from education and employment could be approximately £125 billion. It warned of consequences for the individuals involved, their future earnings, public finances, economic growth and the country’s future workforce.

Chapman believes those figures demonstrate why the issue cannot be viewed solely as unemployment or welfare policy.

It is also a human development, employer confidence and economic growth challenge.

“Every month spent outside work or learning can make it more difficult for somebody to find their way back. Confidence falls. Motivation falls. Skills are not developed. The gap within the CV becomes wider and the questions from employers become harder to answer.”

“What begins as one unsuccessful application can become months of rejection, isolation and self-doubt. Eventually, some young people stop believing that applying again will make any difference.”

The Employer’s Commercial Reality

Chapman is already taking on and developing a young person through a supported employment pathway.

He says the experience has reinforced his belief that greater collaboration is required between the UK Government, the Department for Work and Pensions, service providers, employers and the young people themselves.

Small and medium-sized employers may receive financial support towards employing an eligible young person, but Chapman says the wage contribution represents only part of the true investment required.

The employer must also provide management time, supervision, training, workplace education, emotional intelligence, encouragement and patience.

“I understand why employers hesitate because I am experiencing the reality myself.”

“Taking on somebody who has limited workplace experience means investing significant time in developing their confidence, communication, organisation, commercial understanding and professional behaviour.”

“That is not a criticism of the young person. They cannot arrive with skills and experience that nobody has previously given them the opportunity to acquire.”

Chapman believes that many business owners want to help but are concerned about productivity, management capacity and the risk of employing somebody who may require extensive support before becoming commercially effective.

“Business owners are managing increased costs, taxation, wage pressures and economic uncertainty. We cannot simply tell them that they must employ more young people without recognising the commercial reality they are facing.”

“Equally, we cannot tell a young person that every employer wants experience when nobody is prepared to give them the first opportunity to gain it.”

“That is the circle we must break.”

I’M MORE is intended to reduce that gap by helping young people become better prepared before they enter the workplace, while remaining connected to employers and understanding the skills local businesses genuinely require.

Discover. Believe. Become.

The I’M MORE transformation pathway is built around three stages:

Discover. Believe. Become.

Participants will be helped to discover their strengths, interests, abilities and possible career pathways.

They will be supported to rebuild belief after rejection, isolation, anxiety or difficult personal circumstances.

They will then be encouraged to become more confident, capable, visible and prepared to take meaningful action.

The movement will include confidence and communication development, digital skills, public speaking, career exploration, employer engagement, CV development, interview preparation and Video CVs that allow businesses to see the person behind the written application.

“A limited CV does not mean a limited human being.”

“Somebody may not yet have qualifications or employment history, but they may have resilience, creativity, practical ability, empathy, energy or an aptitude that has never been properly recognised.”

“Our job is to help them discover what is already there, develop what is missing and communicate their potential to the world.”

Chapman says the movement will not make unrealistic promises or suggest that transformation can happen without effort from the individual.

“I’M MORE cannot do the work for somebody who is unwilling to participate in their own progress.”

“But we must also be careful not to mistake fear, anxiety or low confidence for laziness or unwillingness. Sometimes the person who appears reluctant is frightened of failing again.”

“I will stand beside those who are prepared to try. I will give them some of my strength until they begin to recognise their own.”

A Father As Well As A Businessman

Chapman is the father of two young women aged 20 and 21 who are building their own lives through work and higher education.

He says being a father has made the national figures feel even more personal.

“When I look at a young person who is struggling, I do not see a government category. I see somebody’s son or daughter.”

“I think about my own daughters, their aspirations, the pressures they face and the effort required to keep moving forward when life feels uncertain.”

“Every one of these young people belongs to a family. Somebody has watched them grow up, imagined a future for them and may now be wondering how to help.”

Chapman believes work can provide more than financial income. It can create structure, purpose, relationships, self-respect and a sense of contribution.

The government-commissioned Young People and Work review similarly identifies good work as a source of structure, connection, confidence and independence, particularly during the transition into adult life.

“The first job can change how somebody sees themselves.”

“They begin getting up with somewhere to go. They become part of a team. They learn that somebody is relying upon them. They earn their own money, develop relationships and begin building a professional identity.”

“That is not simply an employment outcome. That is human transformation.”

Starting In Chelmsford

I’M MORE will begin by developing a measurable proof of concept in Chelmsford and Essex.

The movement will seek to work collaboratively with the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, employment service providers, local authorities, MPs, educators, businesses, sponsors and community organisations.

Its initial activities will include events, employer engagement, practical training and the development of The Room, a professionally equipped environment where young people can learn, collaborate, build confidence and move away from the isolation of repeatedly applying for jobs alone.

“I am not claiming that one man or one organisation in Chelmsford can reverse a national trend.”

“I am saying that every movement begins somewhere. We begin with one room, one employer, one young person and one opportunity.”

“We measure the results, learn from what works, improve what does not and build evidence that can eventually be shared with Government, funders and other communities.”

The initial proof of concept will measure attendance, continued engagement, confidence development, skills acquired, Video CVs created, employer interviews, work experience placements, employment outcomes, retention and employer feedback.

Chapman wants the evidence to inform future conversations about public support, private sponsorship, grants, employer incentives and the possibility of replicating the model in other parts of the United Kingdom.

A Personal And Financial Commitment

Chapman acknowledges that launching I’M MORE carries considerable personal, professional and financial risk.

He has already invested time and resources into developing the movement, its identity, website, events and physical environment.

There is not, he says, an unlimited source of funding behind the project.

“I could fail. I could invest my time, money and energy and discover that building this movement is far more difficult than I ever imagined.”

“But the possibility of failure cannot become an excuse for never trying.”

“If we stand by and do nothing, the figures already show us the direction in which this problem is travelling.”

Chapman describes Chelmsford as the place where the first pebble will be dropped into the water.

“A pebble may appear insignificant, but once it enters the water, it creates ripples that travel far beyond the point of impact.”

“Our first pebble is Chelmsford. We want to create the first transformations here, prove the concept and allow those results to create ripples across Essex and eventually beyond.”

An Invitation To Work Together

I’M MORE is now inviting conversations with government representatives, the Department for Work and Pensions, local MPs, Chelmsford City Council, Essex County Council, employers, educators, youth employment providers, sponsors and organisations working with young people.

Chapman is also calling on experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders to contribute time, insight, mentoring, workplace access and employment opportunities.

“This is not my movement alone. It has to become a shared mission.”

“Government has a role. The DWP has a role. Service providers have a role. Local authorities have a role. Employers have a role. Young people themselves have a role.”

“I’M MORE will create the bridge and bring those voices into the same room.”

Chapman concluded:

“I have spent much of my life helping people and businesses see what is possible. Now I want to use everything I have learned to help young people see possibility within themselves before the world defines their limitations.”

“I cannot stand by and watch a generation lose belief.”

“I am Bradley Chapman. I am more than what people see. And I want every young person who walks through our doors to begin saying the same words.”

“I’M MORE. I will be more. My future is still possible.”

Ends

About I’M MORE

I’M MORE is a founder-led movement based in Chelmsford, Essex, created by entrepreneur, business consultant, coach and mentor Bradley Chapman.

The movement exists to help people recognise that they are more than their current circumstances, more than their past, more than the labels placed upon them and more than what can be communicated through a conventional CV.

Beginning with young people aged 16 to 24, I’M MORE will combine confidence building, human development, practical skills, digital capability, Video CVs, employer engagement, events and access to meaningful opportunities.

Its central transformation pathway is:

Discover. Believe. Become.

I’M MORE: Unlocking Potential. Changing Futures.

Media Enquiries

Bradley Chapman
Founder, I’M MORE
Email: brad@immore.org

Website: immore.org

Bradley Chapman is available for television, radio, podcast, newspaper and magazine interviews from Chelmsford, Essex. High-resolution photography, I’M MORE branding, founder background information and additional media materials are available upon request.