About a million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK are not in education, employment or training, a group known as Neet. The UK government commissioned an independent review in November 2025 into why so many young people are becoming detached from work and education.

The review is led by Alan Milburn, a former UK health secretary. Its interim report, published in August 2026, argues that the problem is about more than the economic cost of young people being out of work.

The report describes some young people spending much of their time at home, often using personal devices and looking for work online. They may be searching for jobs while having fewer opportunities to meet people face to face, build relationships and develop confidence through participating in everyday life.

The UK government has proposed new technical and vocational routes into work in England. These may help young people gain practical qualifications, but education has a wider role to play than that. It can also give young people opportunities to develop the confidence and interpersonal skills that can later help them participate in working and community life.

Learning beyond the classroom

Digital technology is woven into everyday life, and the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted face-to-face education and social interaction for millions of children and young people. Online learning and relationships can be valuable, of course, but they do not always provide the same opportunities to practise interacting with people in person.

Schools, colleges and universities do more than teach academic subjects. Group projects help young people learn to contribute to a shared task and consider other people’s ideas. Presentations offer practice in communicating with an audience. Sport involves cooperation and negotiation, while clubs and performances create opportunities to meet people, build friendships and become part of a community.

These experiences can help young people develop capabilities that are difficult to measure through conventional academic tests. They also give them opportunities to learn by doing. Things like working through disagreements, sharing responsibility and discovering how to contribute to a group.

Such opportunities are not equally available to everyone, and schools cannot address every cause of social isolation or youth unemployment. But we should not assume that all young people will develop these capabilities automatically. If education is increasingly focused on academic content and formal qualifications, then educators need to consider how interpersonal skills are developed alongside them.

Making the invisible visible

The Welsh government introduced the curriculum for Wales in schools from 2022. It offers one example of a broader approach. Its four purposes include helping young people become capable learners, creative contributors, informed citizens and confident individuals.

These aims recognise that education can develop qualities beyond academic knowledge. Educators could build on this approach by creating deliberate opportunities for young people to practise communication, collaboration and participation, and by recognising their progress. Rather than leaving these capabilities to develop as an accidental byproduct of school life, they could become an explicit part of what education is designed to achieve.

This does not mean replacing academic learning with so-called “soft skills”, or making schools responsible for every aspect of young people’s wellbeing. Academic and technical knowledge remain essential. The point is that education should also recognise the value of learning to work with others, navigate different perspectives and contribute to shared activities.

For young people who feel disconnected from education, work or their local communities, group activities may offer opportunities to build confidence and connections. They cannot guarantee employment, nor can they replace suitable jobs, training or support. But they can form part of a broader effort to help young people participate in society, rather than preparing them solely to pass exams.

For a 14-year-old thinking about the future, advice should therefore go beyond choosing the right subjects or finding the fastest route into a job. Young people also need opportunities to learn how to work with others, communicate their ideas and take part in the world around them.