As industries and organisations in the UK try to navigate critical skills shortages, there are growing fears that a generation of young people are at risk of being left behind, unable – or unwilling in some cases – to embark on a ‘traditional’ employment journey.
With nearly one million young people across the UK disengaged from work or education, and many aspiring to follow in the footsteps of social media influencers and celebrities, chasing careers that are statistically out of reach, there is an urgent need to inspire and guide Generation Z into meaningful, sustainable careers.
Youth Employment in Crisis
Analysis of recent data published by the House of Commons Library is sobering to say the least; emphasising the importance of taking action to avoid a missed generation of UK talent.
According to the parliament’s report, between February and April 2025, 625,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed, representing a youth unemployment rate of 14.3% – up from 13.6% at the same stage in 2024. Additionally, and perhaps even more striking, 923,000 young people were classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), accounting for 12.5% of all 16-24-year-olds in the UK.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a recent, or temporary, blip either. The longer such statistic exists, the long-term consequences of youth unemployment on young people, including lower lifetime earnings, reduced well-being, and increased reliance on public services, will increase and remain.
Following recent research into The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) warns that prolonged periods of unemployment can leave young people “permanently scarred,” undermining both individual potential and national economic growth.
The Aspiration Gap: Expectation v Reality
A significant contributor to this crisis is the growing disconnect between young people’s career aspirations and the realities of the labour market, driven largely by the influence of social media and celebrities and a perception that the lifestyles they present daily to our screens are within easy reach.
According to the OECD’s report, nearly half (46.4%) of UK teenagers are uncertain about their future careers, a sharp rise from 24.6% in 2018, however many express an interest in pursuing a narrow set of high-profile roles and opportunities, such as influencers, athletes, and entertainers, despite the extremely limited opportunities in these fields.
Recent news reports have highlighted that 35% of children aspire to careers in media and culture, yet these sectors account for just 1% of projected job openings. This mismatch is not only unrealistic but also leaves vital industries, including those across scientific, technological, industrial, and engineering sectors, desperately short of talent required for now, and for their future.
The Power of Career Guidance
Responding to their findings, the OECD promotes the potential and transformative impact of providing early and sustained career guidance to those at the Early Career stage. Students and graduates who engage in career-related activities, such as workplace visits, job shadowing, and mentorship, are significantly more likely to secure employment and earn higher wages later in life.
Yet access to these opportunities remains uneven. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to receive quality guidance, which is contributing to a continuing cycle of inequality. As such, a systematic approach that embeds career education and guidance throughout the school and education journey can help to ensure that all students, regardless of background, are presented with a wide range of career paths.
The emphasis for action cannot be solely placed on educational institutions, however. Organisations have a responsibility to reach out, connect with, and engage young people as early as possible too, to offer the guidance, support, advice they need, and provide potential pathways into careers after education.
Such engagement is critical. Research shows that even four career talks with employers during school can reduce a young person’s chance of becoming NEET by 86% - a statistic that not only highlights the potential for creating employment opportunities, but for building diverse, high-quality, reliable talent pipelines for industries, organisations and their workforces too.
Apprenticeships: A Proven Pathway
What’s better than speaking to young people about Early Careers opportunities? Providing them.
One of the most effective, rewarding and impactful initiatives to implement is apprenticeships, designed to enable young people to take advantage of continued skill growth, development, and on the job learning whilst gaining vital experience of life in work and all that is associated with it. From an employer’s perspective, there are plenty of benefits too, including an opportunity to create a sustainable supply of skills, job-ready talent – especially valuable in industries facing acute talent shortages and recruitment challenges.
But whilst apprenticeships remain increasingly valuable, statistics around their engagement are mixed. Recent reports state that, according to the Department for Education, the first half of the 2024/25 academic year saw 202,520 apprenticeship starts, representing a 1% increase from the previous year. Notably, however, 27.9% of these starts were by under-19s, and higher apprenticeships (Level 6 and 7) rose by 12.5%, reflecting growing interest in advanced vocational training.
This further highlights the potential to engage Early Talent via apprenticeships, but also that there is still work to be done to ensure such engagement is achieved consistently.
Inspiring the future: Impellam initiatives
At Impellam Group, across our specialist recruitment and workforce solutions organisations, we have been committed to driving change, creating bright futures, and helping to bridge skill gaps by supporting and driving the learning, development, and growth of the next generation of talent.
For decades we have built partnerships with schools, universities and other educational institutions, which we continue to grow and utilise to reach out and connect directly with young people, to open-up avenues of potential employment and guide them into fulfilling careers.
Working with our clients and customers, we offer incredible graduate opportunities, work placements and apprenticeships too, to ensure that the industries and specialisms we support have access to ready to work, ready to learn talent who are passionate about making an impact immediately.
And we are proud to be at the forefront of creating new, impactful initiatives, devised and delivered by our Early Careers experts, that offer new, innovative routes to connecting talent with opportunities at industry-leading organisations.
This includes our Recruit, Train, Deploy model, through which we find, attract and recruit top-tier talent – including school and university leavers – who we train to provide everything they need to succeed, and then place directly into our customers’ workforces.
A National Call to Action
Generation Z is brimming with potential, but without the right guidance, many risk drifting into unemployment or disillusionment. By investing in career education, expanding apprenticeships, and connecting young people with real-world situations and roles, we can bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity.
Work is being done. And at SRG, and across Impellam, we are ready to continue shaping opportunities for Early Careers candidates and organisations looking for their next generation alike. But there is plenty of work left to do. Across the UK and beyond, we must continue to:
- Embed career education into the national curriculum from primary school onward.
- Expand apprenticeship access, especially for underrepresented groups.
- Foster partnerships between schools, universities, and employers to provide real-world exposure.
- Challenge stereotypes about vocational careers and promote the value of skilled trades.
The time to act is now. Not just to fill jobs, but to build futures.
