New figures out today estimate 981,000 young people in the UK aren't earning or learning.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics cover April-June this year, and show a fall of 30,000 on the previous quarter but a rise of 30,000 on the same period last year.
The figures mean more than 1 in 8 people aged 16-24 is not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK.
Iona Ledwidge, Spear's Chief Executive, said: “The latest figures remain stubbornly high.
“Hundreds of thousands of young people simply have no support to help them get into work, despite a clear need for effective help: around half of employers don’t think young people are well prepared for the world of work. Alan Milburn rightly highlighted that the UK spends 25 times more on benefits for young people than it does on supporting them into work.
“The Spear Programme focuses on getting young people work-ready – we even measure their work-readiness. Over 70% who complete Spear get into work or study and are still there a year later so we know this is effective. We calculate that Spear saved taxpayers £13 million in 2025 by supporting young people into work and education who otherwise wouldn’t be there.
“Alan Milburn’s full report and effective action to support young people and overhaul the system can’t come soon enough.”
Hidden from services designed to help
Alan Milburn’s interim report cited an estimate from 2023-24 of 314,000 people aged 18-24 who were NEET in England and not claiming benefits, meaning “no service is reaching them”.
In a study by the Chartered Institute for Personnel Development, 52% of UK employers didn’t think that young people were generally well-prepared for the world of work.
Spear's calculation that we saved taxpayers £13 million last year uses estimates from the accountancy business PWC and the Youth Futures Foundation which are based on research by the University of York. We counted only young people who got into work or education because of the “Spear difference”.
The award-winning Spear Programme has been running for two decades at centres across the UK, and more than 12,000 young people have enrolled to date.
The Spear Programme is one of the most effective employability programmes in the UK: over 70% who complete it are in work or education a year later. Spear has been independently benchmarked and found to be effective by the government’s Data Lab.
Young people can apply directly to the Spear Programme, which is free. Around half are referred by Jobcentres. Social workers also refer young people.
Trainees have experienced barriers to work, such as having low qualifications or growing up in care: on average, Spear trainees each have more than three such barriers to work.