Guides4 min read
Not in education, employment or training? How to take your next step
What NEET means, why it describes a moment and not a person, the six pathways you can combine, and the next step you can take with IT’S POSSIBLE NOW today.
By IT’S POSSIBLE NOWPublished
NEET means not in education, employment or training. It describes where someone is at one moment, not who they are or what they can do. Your next step is yours to choose: a course, an apprenticeship, a job, an idea of your own, or time with people doing something you enjoy. If you are 16 or over, you can register your interest in NEET to OPPORTUNITY today, or tell us what would help without signing up to anything.
What the term means
The Office for National Statistics counts someone as NEET if they are aged 16 to 24, are not in any form of education or training and are not in work. That includes people who are looking for work and people who are not looking, for example because they are caring for someone or managing their health.
In April to June 2026, the ONS estimated that 13.0% of people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were NEET, about 981,000 young people (published 27 August 2026). About 393,000 of them were looking for work and about 588,000 were not.
A course may have ended. A job may not have worked out. A school or workplace may not have made the adjustments someone needed. None of that is a verdict on a person.
If you are under 18 in England
In England you must do one of these until you are 18, according to GOV.UK:
- stay in full-time education, for example at a college
- start an apprenticeship
- spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training
If you are under 18, your school, college, training provider or local authority can help you find a place. The National Careers Service phone line is for people aged 18 or over in England.
The six pathways
NEET to OPPORTUNITY is a programme of IT’S POSSIBLE NOW CIC for young people who are not in education, employment or training, or who could be soon. It has six pathways. They are options, not a sequence: you can start with one, combine several and change direction.
| Pathway | What it covers |
|---|---|
| LEARN | Education, qualifications, training, digital and vocational skills, mentoring and personal development |
| BUILD | Creativity, entrepreneurship, practical enterprise skills, starting a business and self-employment |
| WORK | Preparing for work, workplace experience, apprenticeships, meeting employers and suitable jobs |
| EARN | Genuine paid work and fair pay, enterprise income, paid co-design where arranged, budgeting and confidence with money |
| SHAPE | Youth leadership, disability inclusion, accessibility, lived experience, community participation and co-design |
| ENJOY SUCCESS | Friendship, sport, arts, creativity, wellbeing, belonging and celebrating progress |
ENJOY SUCCESS starts on the first day. It does not depend on getting a job first.
You register interest once, whichever pathways you choose. You do not need a diagnosis, a label or any documents to explore the programme.
BUILD, WORK and SHAPE are also IT’S POSSIBLE NOW’s three earning routes for adults. In NEET to OPPORTUNITY they are three of the six pathways.
What exists now and what is proposed
| Now | Proposed |
|---|---|
| The programme design: six pathways and seven steps | NEET to OPPORTUNITY 65, a 12-month pilot for 65 young people in Greater Manchester |
| Registering interest in the programme | Eligibility, the age range and how referrals work, agreed when the pilot is approved |
| Have your say, for ideas, barriers and improvements | Funding, delivery organisations and a start date |
| Registering interest in the proposed youth panel | Specific placements, jobs and paid roles with employers |
Registering interest is not an application and does not reserve a place. We do not promise a job, a grant, a placement or an income. We will tell you what is available when we talk.
What happens when you register
The form asks your age group, the area of Greater Manchester you live in, which pathways interest you (if you know) and how you would like us to contact you. When you send it you get a reference number, and if you give an email address we email the reference to you. We reply using the contact method you chose.
The first conversation is about your strengths, your goals and anything that gets in the way, such as transport, confidence or adjustments. There are no marks and nobody passes or fails. You choose what to share.
Other help you can use now
- Careers advice. The National Careers Service has advisers on 0800 072 0288, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for people aged 18 or over in England.
- Support at work. If you are 16 or over and in paid work, or starting paid work in the next 12 weeks, Access to Work may help pay for support. GOV.UK lists work experience, work trials, internships, placements and apprenticeships among the paid work it covers. It does not cover voluntary work.
Your next step
If you want to talk about the programme, register your interest. If you would rather start by telling us what gets in the way, use Have your say. If you support a young person, the supporter form is for you.
Sources
- Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: August 2026 (ONS) (read on 1 November 2026)
- School leaving age (GOV.UK) (read on 1 November 2026)
- Help and support (National Careers Service) (read on 1 November 2026)
- Access to Work: eligibility (GOV.UK) (read on 1 November 2026)
The routes this is about
A next step
It is free, takes a few minutes and commits you to nothing.
Written by
IT’S POSSIBLE NOW
A UK social enterprise run as a Community Interest Company. Who is behind IT’S POSSIBLE NOW
