Former Heath Secretary Alan Milburn has today launched his groundbreaking investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds with a call for young people and a range of experts to come forward with their views.
- DWP's Youth Guarantee Advisory Panel and experts spanning health, business and government to support Alan Milburn's investigation into the root causes of youth inactivity.
- With almost one million young people not earning or learning the Call for Evidence kicks off a national conversation and seeks views from across society.
- Former Health Secretary will publish an interim report in Spring to support the Government's drive to create opportunity for young people.
With almost one million young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) Mr Milburn is leading an investigation into the causes of soaring unemployment in the young in recent years. Today he used the formal launch of the investigation to set out his ambition to inspire a 'Movement' to galvanise communities in all corners of the country.
As well as naming the panel - made up of health, business and policy experts - which will help him to come up with recommendations he launched a call for evidence to help shape the investigation, saying a 'coalition of the concerned' must mobilise to save a generation not earning or learning.
The inquiry comes as Government launches a major drive to get young people earning or learning, including a recent £1.5 billion investment over the Spending Review to help hundreds of thousands more into work or training through the Youth Guarantee, as well as apprenticeships places for up to 50,000 young people.
The Call for Evidence is open until 30 January 2026 and gives young people and their stakeholders the opportunity to shape Mr Milburn's report and suggest life-changing solutions the government can bring forward. He is keen to canvas the views of anyone with experience of the issue - from young people themselves to their parents, football coaches and teachers.
He will take a radical, system-wide approach that matches the urgency of the task at hand.
This comes as almost one million young people (946,000) are not in education, employment or training - enough to fill Wembley Stadium ten times over - and the number of young people receiving health-related benefits has soared, with over a quarter of NEET young people now citing long-term sickness or disability as a barrier to participation. The risk of being NEET is over double if you come from a disadvantaged background and have low qualifications.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:
Too many young people are being denied the opportunity to reach their full potential, and it is a crisis we cannot ignore.
This Government has invested a further £1.5 billion to create thousands of work, training and apprenticeships opportunities, but to turn the tide on the longer-term trend we need to understand why so many young people have been left behind.
That's why I've asked Alan Milburn to help us build a system that supports them not just to find a job, but to build a better future - because when young people succeed, Britain succeeds.
Mr Milburn has recruited both the DWP's Youth Guarantee Advisory panel and experts with diverse expertise and lived experience to support his investigation into the root causes of the concerning rise in youth inactivity. The panel will be mobilised immediately and will meet for the first time this week, it consists of:
- Gavin Kelly - Chief Executive of the Nuffield Foundation and previous Chair of the Resolution Foundation.
- Rachel Perkins - Clinical psychologist with over 30 years' NHS experience and former Mind Champion of the Year
- Ruth Owen OBE - CEO of Leonard Cheshire and disability rights advocate
- Shuab Gamote - Co-author of 'Inside the Mind of a 16-Year-Old' and educational equality advocate
- Sir Charlie Mayfield - Former Chairman of John Lewis Partnership and Chair of Keep Britain Working review
- Tracy Brabin - Mayor of West Yorkshire
- Andy Haldane - President-Elect of the British Chambers of Commerce and former Chief Economist at the Bank of England
- Ravi Gurumurthy - Group Chief Executive Officer at Nesta
- Lisa O'Loughlin - Principal and CEO of East Lancashire Learning Group
- Dr Jennifer Dixon - Chief Executive of the Health Foundation
- Baroness Louise Casey DBE - Social welfare sector expert.
Former Health Secretary and Chair of the investigation Alan Milburn said:
Nearly one million young people in Britain are not in education, employment or training - and that number has been rising for four years. This is a national outrage - it's both a social injustice and an economic catastrophe.
We need to create a movement - a coalition of the concerned - to help us understand what's broken and what must change.
Every young person, whatever their background, deserves the opportunity to learn or to earn. My report will be unafraid to shine a light on uncomfortable truths and recommend where radical change is needed
To launch the Call for Evidence, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden joined Alan Milburn at Boxing Futures in Peterborough to meet young people benefiting from local support programmes and heard directly about their experiences. The organisation works with NEET young people in the local community to support them onto a better path.
Boxing Futures' CEO Anthony York said:
The high number of young people who are NEET is a serious and growing concern. At Boxing Futures, we work hard to ensure young people engage positively with education, training or employment.
Our community-based, tailored programmes of non-contact boxing and therapeutic talk sessions tackle this head on, both as an early-intervention model and directly with young people who find themselves in this position.
Working at the coalface of the youth sector, we see every day how vital these services are, and how much demand continues to grow. We are delighted the Government has made young people a priority and is now reversing a decade of declining investment in youth provision.
The independent report will examine the drivers behind rising NEET rates and economic inactivity among young people and make recommendations for policy responses aimed at maximising opportunities for young people.
Alongside the Call for Evidence, the review is already engaging extensively with stakeholders, including a series of roundtables planned for the new year.
This is the latest step in the government's work to support young people into employment or training. A £1.5 billion investment over the Spending Review was recently announced; £820 million to overhaul support and give nearly 900,000 young people across the UK support, and £725 million to rebalance apprenticeships towards young people and fully fund apprenticeships in small and medium sized businesses for eligible people aged 16-24.
Barry Fletcher, CEO at Youth Futures Foundation, comments:
With one in eight young people not earning or learning, the launch of Alan Milburn's investigation marks an important step towards tackling this stubborn challenge. Evidence of what works, and the voices of young people themselves, will be essential to finding system-wide solutions that truly open doors to meaningful work and learning, for every young person.
As the What Works Centre for youth employment we look forward to contributing our research and evidence alongside convening the Youth Guarantee Advisory Panel. We also urge others to share evidence and insights to ensure the review gains the most complete picture of this complex challenge.
Ishrat, Youth Futures Foundation young ambassador and Youth Guarantee Advisory Group member, comments:
As a young person, I'm very hopeful about the government's decision to launch an independent investigation into rising youth inactivity. Mental health conditions and disabilities are genuine barriers for us, and this inquiry is an opportunity to rethink how we can further support young people into work and education. I'm glad that our lived experiences are finally being recognised and valued. I have hope that the final report will lead to real, lasting change.
Abigail Ampofo, interim Chief Executive of YoungMinds said:
With so many young people struggling with their mental health, this investigation is a huge opportunity to get to the heart of the reforms that are needed to ensure that no young person is left alone with their mental health, and unable to learn, work, and achieve their ambitions as a result.
We particularly welcome the commitment to hearing from young people from all backgrounds as we know that young people from Black and racially minoritised communities often experience systemic barriers to accessing the same level of support as their peers.
Additional Information:
The Call for Evidence will open on 16 December 2025 and is seeking insights from anyone with relevant lived experience, knowledge and expertise. Evidence submissions should be sent to
