Lord John Nash is the founder of Future Academies and continues to serve as the learning institution’s chair of the board of trustees. In 2005, Lord Nash and his wife founded Future, a charity launched with the mission of helping less advantaged children and young people access the opportunities they need to succeed. This article will look at youth unemployment and tactics employed by charities like OnSide to help young people look forward and see a future filled with opportunities.
In the UK today, many young people lack the support and opportunities they need to enter the workforce. In the last year alone, the number of school leavers not in education, employment or training (NEET) approached 1 million, marking an alarming year-on-year increase of 300,000 young people.
The reasons for this are multi-faceted. First and foremost, the job market is incredibly challenging for young people with no experience to break into. Applying for hundreds of roles without receiving so much as a rejection email can be incredibly disheartening for young people, knocking their confidence and fuelling feelings of inadequacy. According to research from the Kings Trust TK Maxx Youth Index, almost a third of young people classed as NEET have experienced mental health issues due to their lack of employment, with half of 16-to-25-year-olds admitting that they feel hopeless about their future.
Feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness drive long-term employment, with the Office for National Statistics reporting that 58% of NEET young people were economically inactive between July and September 2024, meaning that they had given up looking for work altogether. For young people, feeling that they have failed before they have even started is devastating. The problem is also taking its toll on the wider economy, with this sense of hopelessness leading young people to apply for fewer jobs, creating a vicious cycle.
Another contributing factor lies in the fact that many young people lack vital interpersonal skills. Employers have highlighted gaps in soft skills like teamwork, communication and leadership in young people embarking on their careers. Experts attribute this to increased dependence on digital interactions. Research from Generation Isolation suggests that young people are spending more and more time on their mobile devices and significant amounts of time alone without interacting with others. This means less time developing the vital soft skills necessary to help them assert themselves in professional settings.
OnSide empowers young people to rewrite their story, providing safe spaces like Youth Zones to help flip feelings of hopelessness and help young people access opportunities, build skills and have fun. Take for example Hideout Youth Zone in Manchester, a special employability seminar that connected 200 older members with local employers. The event saw an astounding 100% success rate in terms of service users securing work experience placements. Youth Zones also run a range of other initiatives, including Work Safaris to provide young people with the opportunity to visit workplaces across various industries, simultaneously demystifying work settings whilst helping young people to develop essential skills in communication, teamwork and professionalism.
A values-driven charity that is committed to diversity and inclusion, OnSide’s vision is to ensure that every young person in the UK is healthy, happy and able to thrive. The charity’s network of Youth Zones is transforming the lives of young people across the country, with 73% of service users agreeing that they feel happier about their lives after visiting their Youth Zone and 70% reporting that they feel healthier. 79% of frequent Youth Zone attendees agree that they feel better prepared for the future. OnSide is committed to empowering youth across the UK to lead positive, fulfilling lives by providing service users with access to innovative spaces and excellent youth work presented by outstanding people where they are needed most.
