The Youth
Opportunity Pledge
Keeping the first step into work open.
Employers can help young people gain the experience, confidence and connections they need to get started.
Make your Pledge
“We pledge to keep the first step into work open by providing meaningful workplace experiences for young people, particularly those facing barriers to opportunity, and helping them understand the routes into jobs, apprenticeships and training.”
Why this matters now
Over 1 million
young people aged 16–24 in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET)
62%
of young people who are NEET have never had a paid job
40%+ fall
in apprenticeship starts for under-19s in England over the past decade
Sources: Office for National Statistics, Young people not in education, employment or training, May 2026; Department for Work and Pensions, Young People and Work interim report, May 2026; Department for Education, Apprenticeships statistics, July 2026.What meaningful opportunity can look like
Work
experience
Workplace
visits
Mentoring and
careers support
Employer-led
projects
You don’t need to be hiring today to keep tomorrow’s talent pipeline open.
