Evidence and Research on Youth Employment, What Works: testing youth employment interventions ·
View bioThe report synthesises international evidence to:
It draws on:
Countries that have successfully reduced or maintained low NEET rates share a set of core practices:
Interventions are most effective when they:
Success depends on personalisation, relevant content, and action on underlying barriers such as health conditions, insecure housing, and financial hardship.
Evidence from programmes such as France’s Youth Guarantee and Denmark’s Bridging initiatives shows that personalised, wraparound support – including mentoring, coaching, and access to services – is key to converting participation into lasting outcomes.
Strong partnerships between employment services, education providers, and employers create more relevant opportunities and improve labour market outcomes.
To address the scale and complexity of the NEET challenge, the UK must move beyond short-term pilots and fragmented provision.
The following four recommendations reflect a coherent, whole-system response grounded in international evidence and tailored to the UK context.
1. Stop the flow into NEET through multi-agency collaboration
2. Create clear and accessible career pathways in technical and vocational education and training (TVET)
3. Embed holistic, health-integrated support in employment pathways for young people who are NEET
4. Drive systems change through structured coordination, shared learning, and evaluation
Check out more of what we’ve acheived with What works in reducing NEET rates: an international comparative study
What works in reducing NEET rates: an international comparative study
If you have any questions or queries, please contact us
