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More Than One Million Young People Now NEET: Chelmsford Businessman Launches I’M MORE To Help Build A Bridge Into Work
Bradley Chapman is launching a practical weekend training and development event in Chelmsford as part of a wider mission to connect young people, the UK Government, the Department for Work and Pensions, service providers and employers.
Chelmsford, Essex, 5 August 2026: Chelmsford businessman, entrepreneur and people development specialist Bradley Chapman is launching I’M MORE, a new movement created to help young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training become more visible, more confident and better prepared for work.
The movement begins in Chelmsford with a practical weekend training and development event designed to help young people build confidence, improve communication, understand workplace expectations, develop stronger CVs, explore career pathways and become seen by employers as more than a written application.
I’M MORE has been created against a national backdrop in which the latest Office for National Statistics estimate shows that 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. That represented 13.5 per cent of all young people in that age group.
Chapman believes the figures should concern every employer, parent, policymaker and community leader.
“More than one million young people being outside education, employment or training is not just a statistic. It is a warning.”
“Behind every number is a young person, a family and a future that may be drifting further away from opportunity. I cannot stand by and do nothing when I know that the experience I have built over 35 years could help create a bridge for some of those young people.”
Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Employment
I’M MORE is not being positioned as a replacement for Government support, the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, contracted service providers, colleges or employers. Instead, Chapman says the movement has been designed to sit between them.
“Government has policy, funding and reach. The Department for Work and Pensions and its service providers have referral pathways and employment support. Employers have jobs, industries and real workplace opportunities.”
“But there is still a gap between the young person who needs a chance and the employer who needs confidence before taking that risk.”
“I’M MORE exists to help close that gap.”
The first I’M MORE weekend event will focus on practical human development, employability, confidence and visibility. It will support young people to understand that they are more than their current circumstances, more than a limited CV and more than the rejection they may already have experienced.
The movement’s central pathway is:
- Discover
- Believe
- Become
Participants will be encouraged to discover their strengths, rebuild belief and become more capable of taking meaningful steps towards work, training or opportunity.
Chapman said:
“A limited CV does not mean a limited human being. A lack of experience does not mean a lack of potential.”
“Many young people are being rejected before an employer has ever met them. They are being judged by what is missing from a piece of paper, rather than what could be developed within the person.”
“I’M MORE means I’m more than my CV. I’m more than my circumstances. I’m more than what the world currently sees.”
35 Years of Business Experience Applied Locally
Chapman has spent more than 35 years coaching, training and mentoring people across business. His career has included working with start-ups, business owners, senior executives, public personalities, global brands and billionaire entrepreneurs. He has trained, coached or mentored more than 20,000 people and is now using that experience to build I’M MORE from the ground up in Chelmsford.
He has also taken on his first young member of staff through the Youth Guarantee Scheme, giving him direct insight into both the opportunity and the challenge facing employers.
“I am not talking about this from a distance. I am doing it myself.”
“I have taken on my first young person through the Youth Guarantee Scheme, and I can already see the time, care, patience, training and leadership required to help someone develop into a confident and capable employee.”
“That is not a criticism of young people. It is the reality of what happens when somebody has not yet had the chance to gain skills, confidence and workplace experience.”
Supporting Employers and Balancing Commercial Reality
Chapman believes many business owners want to support young people but are under pressure themselves. Employers are dealing with increased costs, wage pressures, taxation, uncertainty and productivity demands. Asking them to recruit young people with limited experience without recognising the commercial risk is, Chapman says, unrealistic.
“We need to be honest. Businesses cannot carry all of this alone either.”
“If we want employers to recruit more young people, then those young people need to be better prepared and employers need to feel better supported.”
“This has to work for the young person, for the employer and for the wider economy.”
The UK Government has already made youth employment a priority through the wider Youth Guarantee and Jobs Guarantee work. The Department for Work and Pensions says the Jobs Guarantee will provide fully funded six-month paid jobs for eligible 18 to 24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months.
Chapman welcomes support of that nature but says practical confidence-building, employer engagement and human development are also needed if young people are to move successfully into work and remain there.
“Funding matters. Policy matters. But transformation also happens in rooms, conversations, training sessions, employer introductions and moments where a young person begins to believe they may still have a future.”
“That is what I’M MORE is being built to create.”
The Vision: The I’M MORE Room & Community Support
The wider vision includes The I’M MORE Room, a professionally equipped environment where young people can access laptops, screens, workstations, digital tools, training, confidence development, employer insight and Video CV support. The room will give young people somewhere to go, somewhere to learn and somewhere to become visible beyond repeated online job applications.
Chapman is also calling on local businesses, parents, professionals and community supporters to get involved.
Businesses can support I’M MORE by:
Sponsoring a desk
Donating laptops, screens, chairs or equipment
Offering time or expertise
Speaking to young people
Providing work experience
Mentoring participants
Opening doors into real industries
“I cannot build this alone.”
“I can bring the vision, the experience, the energy and the willingness to start. But to create something that truly helps young people, we need local businesses, sponsors, parents, professionals and community leaders to stand with us.”
“One sponsored desk could support six, ten, fifteen or twenty young people over time. A laptop could help somebody build their first proper CV. One hour from a business owner could help somebody discover an industry they never knew existed.”
Proving the Concept in Chelmsford
I’M MORE will initially focus on Chelmsford and Essex, with the aim of creating a measurable local proof of concept. The movement intends to track engagement, confidence development, skills gained, Video CVs completed, employer interviews, work experience, employment outcomes and employer feedback.
Chapman believes that if the local model can demonstrate real human and commercial value, it could later be developed with wider partners and potentially replicated in other areas.
“I am not claiming one organisation in Chelmsford can reverse a national trend overnight.”
“But every national movement has to begin somewhere. We begin here. We build one room, support the first young people, involve the first employers, measure the outcomes and prove what is possible.”
“A pebble dropped into water creates ripples far beyond the place where it first lands. Chelmsford is where we are dropping the first pebble.”
Chapman says the mission is both professional and personal.
“I am 56 years old. I have spent my life building businesses, developing people and helping others see what is possible.”
“Now I want to use that experience to help young people before their circumstances become their identity.”
“No one should be left behind simply because they have not yet been given the chance to show who they could become.”
I’M MORE is now inviting conversations with BBC Essex, local media, newspapers, radio stations, employers, councils, MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions, service providers, sponsors, parents and community organisations.
Chapman concluded:
“This is not about blame. It is about responsibility.”
“Government has a role. The DWP has a role. Service providers have a role. Employers have a role. Young people have a role. I’M MORE will bring those voices into the same room.”
“Together, we can help young people discover what is within them, believe again and become more ready for work, opportunity and life.”
“We may not be able to change everything immediately, but that cannot become the reason we change nothing.”
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 18 to 24 who are unemployed or Not in Education, Employment or Training, I’M MORE will combine confidence development, practical skills, digital capability, Video CVs, employer engagement, events, mentoring and access to meaningful opportunities.
Its central transformation pathway is:
I’M MORE: Unlocking Potential. Changing Futures.
Media Enquiries
Bradley Chapman
Founder, I’M MORE
Email: bradley@immore.org
Website: immore.org
Macey Hutchins
I’M MORE
Email: macey@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 further media materials are available upon request.
Notes To Editors
NEET is the official acronym used to describe a young person who is Not in Education, Employment or Training.
The latest Office for National Statistics estimate found that 1,012,000 people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were NEET between January and March 2026. Approximately 400,000 were classified as unemployed and 613,000 as economically inactive. These figures should not be described as one million unemployed young people.
The Department for Work and Pensions describes the Jobs Guarantee as part of the wider Youth Guarantee and says it will guarantee fully funded six-month paid jobs to eligible 18 to 24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months.
I’M MORE will initially develop and measure its model in Chelmsford and Essex before considering wider regional or national replication.
Chelmsford Businessman Launches I’M MORE To Help Young People Who Are NEET Build A Bridge Into Work