Our 2025-2028 strategy on a page

Introduction

Youth Futures Foundation is the national What Works Centre for youth employment, with a specific focus on marginalised young people.

Our Vision is a society where every young person can achieve good work.

Our Mission is to ensure marginalised young people can secure and thrive in good work, by finding out What Works and driving change in policy and practice.

The youth employment challenge and opportunity

The proportion of UK young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) has stayed persistently high. The challenge is even greater for the most marginalised, who face systemic barriers to finding and keeping good work.

Matching the Netherlands’ NEET rate could move, 500,000 young people into work or education, and boost the UK economy by £69bn in the long term.

Our north star goals – what we want to see by 2050

1. England’s NEET rate for young people falls to match the best in the OECD
2. Gaps in education, employment and training outcomes for specific groups of marginalised young people are removed

How we get there

We will generate high-quality evidence and turn it into action, collaborating with policymakers, employers, and funders, and meaningfully engaging young people most affected by the system.

By 2028 we want high-quality evidence to underpin more:

• Public policy that helps marginalised young people to earn and learn
• Funding decisions on the availability and design of youth employment programmes
• Employer practice in the recruitment and retention of marginalised young people

Explore our focus areas