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Getting to work, together.

Getting to work, together.

New research from Education Development Trust (EDT) and Public First explores why people become disconnected from work, learning, and opportunity – and what it takes to reconnect people with pathways into education, training and employment.

New research from Education Development Trust (EDT) and Public First explores why people become disconnected from work, learning, and opportunity – and what it takes to reconnect them with pathways into education, training, and employment.

The challenge

Across the UK, employers, policymakers, and communities are grappling with economic inactivity, skills shortages, and growing numbers of young people struggling to access sustainable work.

Opportunity exists. Access remains uneven. Health, confidence, caring responsibilities, transport, experience requirements, and fragmented support can all influence whether people are able to access, sustain, and progress in employment.

Creating opportunity matters. Ensuring people can access, navigate, and benefit from it is the challenge.

Sunderland and the North East: a regional example

17.5%

The proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 in the North East who are NEET, the highest regional rate in England, compared with 13.5% nationally (Jan to March 2026).

Sunderland and the North East: a regional example

17.5%

The proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 in the North East who are NEET, the highest regional rate in England, compared with 13.5% nationally (Jan to March 2026).

What young people are saying

Recent focus groups with young people who are NEET provide important insight into how pathways break down and what support is needed to reconnect them with opportunity.

"We're applying - we're just not getting the chance."

Young people described making genuine efforts to find work, training, and education opportunities but struggling to gain a foothold.

"The traditional route doesn't work for everyone."

Many participants felt pathways into employment were too narrow and did not reflect different ambitions, circumstances, and learning styles.

"Help arrives too late, or not at all."

Participants often identified a specific moment where their route into work or learning broke down and support disappeared.

Young man in wheelchair

“If I got the help that I needed, I'm sure I would be in work by now.”

Many young people felt they did not get the support that would help them to progress.

What the evidence tells us

Drawing on research with young people, adults, and practitioners, one message stands out: the challenge is often not the absence of opportunity, but the difficulty of accessing and sustaining it.

Access is shaped by more than opportunity

Jobs, training, and support may exist, but transport, cost, health, caring responsibilities, and recruitment practices can still put them out of reach.

Disconnection is rarely a single event

People often lose momentum when barriers combine and support falls away at critical moments.

Progress depends on relationships

Trust, flexibility, and personalised support help people navigate setbacks and stay engaged.

Systems work best when they work together

Employability outcomes are strongest when employers, education providers, health services, and community organisations are connected around people's needs.

What makes opportunity accessible?

Trusted relationships

Consistent, empathetic support helps people feel understood and able to move forward.

Personalised and flexible delivery

Support should adapt to people’s goals, circumstances, communication needs, and readiness.

Practical routes into work

Work experience, employer contact, and accessible entry points help people build confidence and demonstrate their capabilities.

Connected local support

Employers, education providers, health services, and community organisations need to work together around people’s needs.

Support through transitions

Help should not end when someone starts a course, placement, or job. Sustained progression and retention matter. 

Opportunity is shaped by a series of connected experiences, from education through to employment and progression.

Pathways into employment are shaped by a series of connected experiences, beginning in education and continuing throughout a person's working life. Through our work with schools, educators, employers, policymakers, and communities, EDT helps people navigate key transition points, overcome barriers, and access opportunity.

EDT's impact in the North East

34k+
people supported in the past 12 months
16
years delivering in the region
14
programmes delivered
We believe improving employment outcomes requires action across the whole pathway, from prevention and early intervention through to employment, progression, and retention.

Building aspirations and career readiness in schools

Preventing disengagement from education, training, and employment

Supporting transitions between education, training, and work

Supporting progression and retention

Creating employer opportunities

Delivering employability support

Future Forward: supporting young people to thrive in the world of work

A pioneering programme delivered by EDT with West Yorkshire Combined Authority to tackle the complex challenges of young people at risk of becoming NEET.

What needs to change

The evidence is clear: making opportunity more accessible cannot be achieved by employment services alone. Employers, policymakers, commissioners, educators, and practitioners all have a role to play.

What employers can do

  • Rethink experience and entry requirements.

  • Create accessible routes into work and workplace experience.

  • Provide constructive feedback and encouragement.

  • Invest in progression and retention, not just recruitment.

What policymakers and commissioners can do

  • Commission for sustained progression, not just immediate job entry.

  • Recognise confidence, skills, and work readiness as meaningful progress.

  • Enable flexible, longer-term support that reflects individual journeys.

  • Strengthen connections between employment, health, and community services.

  • Improve longer-term outcome tracking. 

What practitioners can do

  • Build trusted, relationship-based support.

  • Tailor interventions to individual needs and aspirations.

  • Support people through critical transition points.

  • Address barriers holistically, not in isolation.

  • Connect people to meaningful employer and workplace opportunities. 

The challenge is not simply creating more opportunities. It is ensuring more people can access them, navigate them, and benefit from them.

Resource library

EDT research executive summary

Making opportunity accessible: Evidence from Sunderland and the North East.

Download executive summary

What works in adult employment and careers support?

A full report from EDT based on insights from Sunderland and the wider North East.

Download full report

Findings from focus groups with young NEET people

A look at young people's experiences of education, employment, and training from focus groups led by Public First.

Download focus group findings

Talk to us about pathways to employment

Mark De Backer

Mark De Backer, Head of Careers

Mark leads EDT's careers and employability work and has more than 20 years' experience supporting young people and adults into education, training, and employment.

Mark De Backer

Mark de Backer, Head of Careers

Mark has worked in careers for over 20 years, with half of this time as a careers adviser working with young people and adults. Prior to his role now, Mark managed our National Careers Service contracts from 2012 to 2019 and also managed delivery and service for more than 60 schools in London.

Talk to us about pathways to employment

If you are looking to strengthen delivery and achieve better employability outcomes, we would be glad to explore how we can support your priorities.

Contact Mark de Backer