Work Matters 2026: No NEET solution? Tackling youth unemployment in the UK

On Thursday 26 February 2026, the Work Foundation at Lancaster University hosted an event on ‘No NEET solution? Tackling youth unemployment in the UK'. The expert panel of speakers reviewed the latest ONS figures on young people aged 16 to 24 years not in education, employment or training, and discussed what it means for young people, local communities, the labour market and the Government. Speakers included: Susannah Hardyman (Chief Executive, Impetus) Shuab Gamote (Researcher & advisor, co-author of Inside the Mind of a 16-Year-Old and member of Milburn Review expert panel) Nathan Weeks (Head of Employment Support and Careers, West Midlands Combined Authority) Chris Smyth (Public Policy Editor, Financial Times) Ben Harrison (Director, Work Foundation at Lancaster University).