A damning report published into young people’s education must be heeded as a wake-up call, a Cumbrian business leader said.
Alan Milburn was commissioned by the Government to review why increasing numbers of young people were not in employment, training or education – known as NEET
The 217-page report says around a million young people in the UK were NEET and the total cost is £125 billion.
It says the issues are structural – like the housing market – and down to the disparities in background, geography and wealth. Health issues also play a part, the report adds, and the study estimates that for every £25 the Department for Work and Pensions spends on benefits for young people, it devotes just £1 to helping them back into work.
Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Milburn report must be a wake-up call for policymakers about the crisis of young people not in employment, education and training.
“Unless urgent, comprehensive action is taken, a whole generation is at risk of being cut loose from society – and economic growth will be hampered as a result.
“The report diagnoses the problem, with suggested solutions to follow later in the year. The issues it identifies are not new to businesses here in Cumbria.
“BCC research shows that more than half of businesses are facing skills shortages, with high employment costs causing many to cut back on recruitment and training – making it harder for young people to take that first step into work.
“We have particular challenges here in Cumbria with an ageing workforce and too few people in the active workforce to support our currently known needs and growth opportunities.
“Cumbria’s NEET figures are below the national average, with the NEET rate in Cumbria being 3.9% against the England average of 5.5%.
“However, this does not mean we are complacent. Behind these statistics are real people and we, and other Cumbrian stakeholders, are committed to enabling as many of them as we can to see opportunities and flourish.
“We’re also committed to working with partners to minimise the number of new NEETs emerging from the system, reaching young people before they become NEET – through better careers education, meaningful work experience, finding ways to keep them positively engaged in education and training and ensuring training that’s genuinely aligned with the jobs that exist here.
“And for both NEETs and potential NEETs, ensuring that wraparound care is in place is fundamental to success, given that many of these young people face one or more significant barriers.
“The Local Skills Improvement Plan structure is a ready-made part of the solution to these problems.
“The forthcoming 2026-2029 Cumbria Local Skills Improvement Plan, due to be published towards the end of June, puts supporting young people into the workforce as a priority.
“It’s great to see the Milburn Review recognise the overwhelming desire of most businesses to employ young people from their local area.
“And when we talk to businesses, we usually find that they are keen to support and employ young people, and not least those with additional challenges, such as the care-experienced.
“Without strong business input, the government risks setting out interventions that fail to tackle the NEET crisis in a meaningful way.
“An ambitious approach is needed between health, education, the welfare system, and employers. Solutions need to be locally rooted but nationally joined up.” You can read the 2025 LSIP Progress Report here and read the full Milburn report here.
