Where a young person grows up can have a significant relationship with their chances of moving successfully from education into employment, with new analysis highlighting major differences in NEET rates across different parts of England.
Recent data has drawn attention to areas where particularly high proportions of young people are not in education, employment or training. The government’s independent Young People and Work review found that eight of the ten English local authorities with the highest likelihood of young people being NEET are located in the North of England and the Midlands.
Blackpool stands out particularly strongly. The review reports that almost a quarter of young people in the area are NEET, compared with fewer than one in ten in Bath. Separate research from the Social Mobility Commission also shows that Blackpool continues to experience several overlapping factors associated with becoming NEET, including lower educational attainment, high levels of free school meal eligibility and comparatively high levels of special educational needs.
Other major cities face their own challenges. In Birmingham and Bradford, more than 8% of 16-to-24-year-olds are receiving Universal Credit and looking for work, according to the Young People and Work review. That is more than double the national average of 4.1%.
But these figures should not be interpreted as meaning that young people in certain towns or cities have less ambition. Instead, they demonstrate how local labour markets, education, transport, qualifications, deprivation and access to employers can combine to create very different experiences depending on where somebody lives.
Research from youth employment charity Impetus has consistently shown that even areas located close together can experience very different outcomes. Its analysis of the West Midlands, for example, recorded a 17% NEET rate among young people in Birmingham in the dataset examined, alongside significant differences connected with disadvantage and qualification levels.
London demonstrates the same complexity. Looking only at the capital’s overall employment picture can hide considerable differences between individual boroughs. Impetus research has found substantial variation in NEET outcomes across London, reinforcing the importance of examining communities at a more local level rather than assuming that an entire city experiences the same challenges.
This matters because opportunity is often local.
A young person may be willing to work but still struggle if suitable entry-level employers are difficult to reach. Someone may want an apprenticeship but find limited opportunities within their chosen industry nearby. Others may have qualifications but lack workplace experience, professional connections or access to the careers support that could help them take their next step.
Local employer partnerships can help close some of those gaps. Businesses working alongside schools, colleges, training providers and employability organisations can introduce young people to industries that exist within their own communities and create clearer pathways from education into employment.
Apprenticeships and genuine entry-level positions are particularly important because they give somebody somewhere to begin. Young people cannot build years of experience before somebody gives them their first opportunity.
Qualifications also remain an important part of the picture. Impetus’ wider Youth Jobs Gap research has found that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are twice as likely as their better-off peers to become NEET, while stronger qualifications are associated with a substantially lower risk of becoming disconnected from education or employment.
However, education alone cannot solve every barrier. Previous Impetus research concluded that improving educational outcomes is necessary but not sufficient to eliminate differences in employment outcomes, highlighting the additional importance of local employability services and careers advice.
That is why understanding local data can be so valuable. If one community has particularly high NEET rates, organisations can look more closely at what young people there actually need — whether that means more employer engagement, apprenticeships, transport options, confidence building, careers guidance, practical training or earlier intervention.
At I’M MORE, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to build a future defined by potential rather than circumstance.
Where somebody lives will always shape the opportunities immediately around them, but it should not determine what they are capable of achieving. Strong local networks between employers, education providers, apprenticeships and community organisations can help make opportunity more visible and accessible.
Our mission is to help young people Discover, Believe and Become.
NEET hotspots tell us where challenges are concentrated, but they should also help identify where action can make the greatest difference. The goal should be to ensure that whether a young person grows up in Blackpool, Birmingham, London or anywhere else, they have a realistic route towards skills, confidence, employment and a future they can build on.
