MCR Pathways welcomes The Youth Jobs Gap Report: Exploring Compound Disadvantage, published by education and employment charity, Impetus, last week.
The report provides the clearest, most comprehensive evidence yet on the barriers that create stark disparities in employment outcomes for young people across England.
Using the Government’s Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset, the report uncovers how factors such as socio-economic background, qualifications, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ethnicity, gender, and geography can contribute to young people’s employment outcomes.
The report finds that many young people are feeling the combined effect of the above factors and its association with being dramatically more likely to be out of work, education or training (NEET) – and identifies the local areas with the highest likelihood of young people being out of work and learning.
The report further states: “Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are twice as likely to be persistently absent from school, four times more likely to be suspended and five times more likely to be permanently excluded. By the time they are teenagers, they are 40% less likely to achieve a pass in crucial English and maths GCSEs, compared to their wealthier peers. In terms of those progressing into higher education, the gap between them and their more advantaged counterparts is the widest it’s ever been.”
A selected summary of the report’s key findings
- Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, with low qualifications, and SEND are almost three times likely to be NEET.
- Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who also have low qualifications (fewer than five GCSEs by age 18) are around 130% more likely to be NEET than the average. Having low qualifications leads to a young person being 77% more likely to be NEET than average.
- Being eligible for free school meals in Year 11 leads to a young person being 66% more likely, and having SEND means a young person will be around 80% more likely. Young people with SEND who are eligible for free school meals in Year 11 are 140% more likely to be NEET than the average.
- Young people growing up in specific local authority areas across England have considerably higher chances of being NEET compared to the average. This is likely due to higher proportions of young people facing multiple barriers to employment living in these areas. These areas include: Hartlepool (148%), Middlesbrough (120%), Islington (120%), Newcastle (115%) and Wandsworth (114%).
- Young people from Mixed White and Black Caribbean backgrounds with SEND are by far the most likely to be NEET – 110% above average.”
Understanding the wider challenge
The number of young people in the UK who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) is edging close to the one million mark.
According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an estimated 923,000 16-24 year olds (12.5% of all 16-24 years olds in the UK) fall within the NEET category. Whilst reporting a minute fall in numbers reported last quarter and the same period of last year, it’s an alarming reality, and not simply just a statistic — it’s a warning sign of deeper challenges that need to be addressed.
Social inequalities can prove a massive barrier to realising potential and breaking cycles which can hold young people back – If you don’t have the required resources, connections, encouragement, support or access to advice communicating the importance of attendance, gaining qualifications and wider experiences to get into further/higher education, training or work, the problem will only continue to worsen. Moreover, challenges, when it comes to breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, can present further significant barriers to raising attainment, aspiration and progression to positive destinations.
Getting a job as a young person presents a very tough challenge indicating a growing skills gap that needs to be addressed – A recent report (December 2024) from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development states: Employment rates among young people (16-to-24-year-olds) have declined over the past thirty years. 50% of young people are in employment, compared to 62% thirty years ago. Moreover, the Office of National Statistics has shown that there are presently 569,000 economically inactive 16-24 year olds in January-March 2025. All of which is compounded by a growing skills gap problem presenting a strong argument that young people aren’t learning and gaining the skills employers are looking for in an ever-evolving world of work.
Growing mental health and wellbeing challenges can present further boundaries to realising potential – According to The Health Foundation, one in three (34%) of 18-24 year olds report symptoms of common mental health health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and stress. All of which can present significant challenges to attending school, focusing on exams, building networks, exploring potential routes to work, college or university.
Therefore, there’s no single reason why NEET figures are so high — it’s as the report describes in depth, a mix of economic challenges, education gaps, mental health challenges, cycles of intergenerational disadvantage and wider social inequalities. All of which leads to rising social costs, as well as further economic and social inequalities.
The role that mentoring has to play in improving post-school destinations
For the past twenty years, MCR Pathways has and remains committed to ensuring young people from care-experienced, and wider challenging circumstances, have someone to help them find their path, through the power of mentoring.
Delivering a school-based mentoring service that includes group work and one-to-one mentoring sessions, the programme builds confidence, instils self-belief and awakens ambition to address falling attendance, and rising absenteeism, declining behaviour and exclusion, low attainment and aspiration plus much more to promote positive post-school destinations.
Reflecting on success achieved in South East England
The charity launched services in South East England in 2021, which has supported over 1000 young people since then through group work and one-to-one mentor sessions in secondary schools located in Hertfordshire, Surrey, and West London. It’s work has been achieved in partnership with funding from organisations, including: Hertfordshire Virtual Schools, Impetus, Henry Smith Foundation, Inflexion, Surrey County Council, and Propel.
Kerry Fellowes, Head of South East England Operations For MCR Pathways reflects on getting services up and running in the region: “The launch of this vital initiative came off the back of Covid, enabling us to tackle the opportunity gaps that often limit young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our programme is specifically designed to provide targeted, individualised mentoring, fostering confidence, raising aspirations, and equipping participants with the skills and resilience to navigate their personal and academic journeys.
“The cornerstone of this success is our truly fantastic team, a collective of dedicated professionals who bring a wealth of experience to every interaction. Our team members are experts in providing invaluable support and guidance directly within schools, to our young people, and to our passionate mentors. Their diverse backgrounds and deep understanding of the challenges young people face ensure that our programme is not only robust in its design but also empathetic and effective in its delivery.
“Our Pathway Coordinators are dedicated and hands-on, collaborating closely with schools to integrate our mentoring effectively into schools’ existing pastoral support systems. They meticulously match young people with carefully selected mentors, providing comprehensive training and ongoing supervision to ensure high-quality, impactful relationships. It’s this dedicated support system – from initial engagement to sustained mentorship – that sets our programme apart and drives tangible, positive change.”
The data generated since then presents compelling evidence regarding the impact mentoring has played in driving positive post-school destinations, where not one young person participating in the MCR Pathways mentoring programme has fallen into the NEET category.
36% of those attending 10+ mentoring sessions with MCR Pathways saw improvements in school attendance. 51% of MCR’s young people who were previously “persistently absent” recorded increased attendance last year.
63% of year eleven’s progressed to college, 33% to Sixth Form, and 4% into work or apprenticeships. Upon completing their school career, 82% went on to university, and 18% secured work or apprenticeships.
Kerry Fellowes, Head of South East England Operations For MCR Pathways concludes: “We are incredibly proud of the collaborative spirit and unwavering commitment shown by everyone involved in the South East of England. With our exceptional team at the helm, we are confident that our mentoring programme will be a powerful force for good, providing one trusted adult for each young person to empower them to build brighter, more equitable futures.”
Building on continued success in south east England, MCR Pathways will launch services in Astley Cooper School in Hemel Hempstead and Ark Acton Academy, London later this year.
For further information about our work in the South East of England, please contact: kerry.fellowes@mcrpathways.org
Launching our services in the North East England
MCR Pathways will build on successes in South East England by launching its programme in the North East of England later this year, an area highlighted by the report with significant numbers of NEET young people.
The programme will run in six secondary schools across Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland over the next three years, thanks to funding from The Centre of Social Justice.
In the North East, over half of households experience deprivation in at least one dimension (54.6%, or 641,000 households). Seven out of the twelve local authorities in the region are among the 30% most deprived in England.
40% of care leavers aged 19-21 are NEET, 2% higher than the national average. Moreover, Educational outcomes for children in care, children in need (CIN), and those under child protection orders (CCPO) in the North East are consistently below the national average.
Pupils in all social care groups are twice as likely to have SEND, with half of CIN students having SEND, compared to 17% nationally. These students have higher rates of absence, exclusion, and lower attainment, with average Attainment 8 scores significantly below the national average.
Moreover CIN students are at a greater risk of long-term disadvantage, with 13% fewer sustaining positive post-16 destinations and more likely to enter precarious employment or become NEET.
Caroline Maddocks, England Programme Director for MCR Pathways said:
“MCR Pathways works in partnership with secondary schools, identifying young people most at risk of not fulfilling their potential and inviting them to join our mentoring programme. We prioritise the Young People with social worker involvement and those who experience continuous instability at home. Matching each with a carefully selected mentor, committed to helping their young person identify their talents, develop their self confidence, broaden their aspirations and, ultimately, fulfil their potential, MCR facilitates transformational relationships.”
Impetus’ report reinforces the disparity in opportunities and outcomes for young people across England, highlighting the postcode lottery. MCR Pathways are proud to be working with schools in local authority areas where young people are at the highest risk of not fulfilling their potential. Our launch in Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland enables us to focus on working with schools and young people to tackle and address disparity through mentoring and tailored, personalised support. This is not just a new location on our map. It’s a powerful next step in a shared journey. Because opportunity should never depend on postcode.
Caroline continues: “Education is a crucial gateway to opportunity, and MCR Pathways’ trauma-informed approach will help young people to improve attendance, behaviour, and attainment, increase aspiration, secure positive destinations as well as make informed choices about employment, housing, relationships, and much more.
“We’re assembling a brilliant local team— people who know the region, who understand its needs, and who are ready to roll up their sleeves. From programme delivery to mentor support and community partnerships, our North East team will carry forward the heart and soul of MCR Pathways.”
For further information about our work in the North East of England, please contact caroline.maddocks@mcrpathways.org
