In a 2026 survey of 417 young people across Great Britain who were not in education, employment or training, 84% said they wanted to be in work, education or training. I keep coming back to that figure. We often talk about young people who are NEET as though their absence from a classroom or workplace tells us what they want. Most of those who answered this survey wanted to be somewhere else.
That does not mean the route there felt open. The same survey found that around one in ten did not believe they would ever enter work, education or training. A young person can want a job and still leave an application unfinished. They can picture a course they would enjoy and be unable to face another first day. From the outside, we might see someone who has stopped trying. From their side of the kitchen table, we may be seeing someone who cannot bear another attempt that goes nowhere.
Think about how rejection accumulates. You leave school without the results you hoped for. College feels like more of the same. An employer wants experience you cannot get without somebody employing you first. After a while, even a small application can carry the weight of every previous one. You still want things to change; you simply have less reason to trust that they will.
The DWP research gives that feeling some context. More than half of respondents felt the education system did not suit people like them. Young people described health conditions, anxiety, inaccessible opportunities, limited experience and a difficult job market. Those who had been out of education for longer were more likely to report barriers and doubt about their future. The survey cannot tell us that time away itself caused that doubt. It does show why a cheery instruction to “just apply” may miss what is happening.
Meanwhile, life carries on around them. Friends start earning, moving out or talking about the work they do. At home, a parent may be searching for courses, offering lifts, reading an application or trying to decide whether to ask again today. They want to help without making their child feel watched. The young person wants independence and may resent needing help to reach it. That can be a hard conversation for everyone, especially when neither side knows what the next useful step looks like.
In that GB survey, 52% reported relying on family support financially, while 38% reported using benefits. Those figures describe the surveyed young people, not every family in Wales, and they do not measure what parents give in time, worry or introductions. They do, however, make me wonder about the young person whose family has very little money, time or knowledge of the sector they hope to enter. Who helps them find a way in?
I thought about that while reading the story behind Stand Out Socks, a UK business founded by brothers Ross and Christian. Ross has Down syndrome. The company says he faced years of rejection despite his enthusiasm and determination, and the brothers launched their colourful sock business in 2021 with a mission to create meaningful paid jobs for people with Down syndrome. It now says it employs five people with Down syndrome in paid roles.
Ross’s determination belongs at the centre of that story. So does the fact that he and Christian could build something together after employers had failed to see what Ross could offer. Their success does not mean everyone facing rejection should have to start a business, or that family support can remove every barrier. To me, it shows what can happen when somebody close to you takes your ambition seriously and works alongside you to create an opening.
A parent might be that person. So might a teacher, youth worker, employer, neighbour or coach. Some families already have those connections; others are doing everything they can without them. If access to an opportunity depends on knowing the right adult, then we need more ways for young people to meet one.
This is the thinking behind Fentro’s interest-led pathways. If a young person loves animals, we can begin with the interest and look for a chance to see the work up close: a groomer, a farm, a rescue centre or another local setting willing to show them what happens there. The same question can open doors in music, gaming, cars, beauty, fitness or content creation. A first visit is not a job offer. It can give someone a person to talk to, a clearer picture of the work and a reason to imagine a next step.
Some young people will need specialist health, disability, financial or safeguarding support alongside opportunities like these. One introduction cannot solve every barrier, and Fentro’s support for young people is one possible route among others. We need to listen long enough to learn what is getting in the way for the person in front of us, then work with the people best placed to help.
When I read that 84% figure, I do not hear a promise that every young person is ready to start work tomorrow. I hear a reason to ask better questions. What have they already tried? What has made trying difficult? What holds their attention? Who could help them take a step small enough to feel possible? Wanting a future is there for many. Our part is to help make a route towards it visible.
If a young person aged 16–24 in Rhondda Cynon Taf comes to mind as you read this, register an early referral or expression of interest. We can start with a conversation about what they enjoy and what support may fit.