Britain’s Got Talent – but are we opening enough doors?
Britain’s Got Talent – but are we opening enough doors?
Ola Kolade, Employment & Skills Director at Business in the Community, explores how business, government and local leaders can unlock young people’s talent by creating earlier pathways into work.
For Youth Employment Week 2026, Ola Kolade, Employment & Skills Director at Business in the Community, reflects on a year of conversations with government ministers, major employers, infrastructure leaders and young people across the UK. With more than one million young people now not in education, employment or training, he argues that Britain cannot afford to waste young talent — and that employers have a vital role to play in opening earlier, clearer routes into work.
More than one million young people in the UK are now not in education, employment or training (NEET), the highest number in over a decade.[1] We also know that the longer a young person remains out of work or education, the harder it becomes to enter the labour market, build confidence and progress throughout their career.[2]
Those figures should concern us all, but they shouldn’t define this generation.
Over the past year, Business in the Community has convened government ministers, senior civil servants, Metro Mayors and business leaders to discuss one of the biggest challenges facing our economy: how we unlock the talent of our young people.
Whether through the Department for Work and Pensions’ Youth Guarantee, Business in the Community’s Opening Doors campaign or discussions with leaders delivering some of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects, one thing has become clear. Government, business and local leaders are increasingly aligned, not just on the scale of the challenge, but on what needs to happen next. The opportunity now is to turn that shared concern into practical action that reaches young people earlier, opens clearer routes into work and helps employers access the talent they need.
Reframing the Challenge
Too often, we define young people by what they are not doing. That’s not the generation I meet. I meet young people with ambition, creativity and talent. Young people looking for their first opportunity, looking for someone to believe in them and looking for a pathway into work. I’ve never questioned their aspiration. If anything, I’ve questioned whether we’re creating enough opportunities for them to succeed.
At the same time, employers tell me they can’t find the talent they need or that the cost of recruitment is becoming increasingly challenging. This isn’t simply a youth employment issue. It’s an economic growth issue. If we’re serious about delivering the Industrial Strategy, tackling skills shortages and growing regional economies, unlocking young talent must be part of the answer.
Creating Earlier Pathways into Work
The clearest lesson from what works is also the most uncomfortable: we are meeting too many young people too late. Too many young people leave education without workplace experiences, role models or conversations that help them imagine careers they may never have known existed. And by the time they are out of education, employment or training, confidence can already be knocked, and the world of work can feel further away.
We should not wait until young people have fallen through the cracks to reconnect them. We should build those connections earlier. Research shows that young people who experience four or more meaningful employer encounters are significantly less likely to become NEET and more likely to move successfully into employment.[3] The encouraging news is that many businesses aren’t waiting for policy to catch up.
Business in the Community’s network is already acting, employers are expanding work experience, mentoring young people and partnering with schools, colleges and communities. Every young person should leave education having seen what work can
look like, understood where they might fit and met employers who can help them take the next step.
Aligning Skills, Devolution and Economic Growth
The same problem shows up at a regional level: we often talk about skills only once the shortage is already visible. The Industrial Strategy and devolution agenda give us a chance to connect skills, education and economic growth before demand outpaces supply.
Local leaders understand their labour markets better than anyone, but they need to bring together employers, education providers and communities around the table early enough to shape the pipeline, not simply respond to gaps once they appear. Conversations with major infrastructure leaders highlighted the need for stronger regional skills partnerships, earlier workforce planning, better labour market intelligence and greater engagement with SMEs.
Skills planning should begin long before projects break ground, so local people are ready to benefit from the opportunities being created.
Building the Right Incentives
There is a practical tension we must face: many businesses want to invest in young people, but meaningful pathways into work do not appear by accident. They take time, capacity and confidence.
Government has made an important start through the Youth Guarantee. The next step is making it easier for employers to act, strengthening local partnerships, unlocking apprenticeship levy funding more effectively and giving places greater flexibility to respond to local labour markets.
If we want more employers to open doors, we must reduce the friction that keeps those doors closed. Investment in young people should be seen for what it is: an investment in Britain’s future competitiveness.
Employer Action in Practice
The most encouraging part of these conversations is that many employers are already leading the way, showing that small changes to recruitment, outreach and support can make pathways into work more accessible without lowering expectations.
Capita has simplified recruitment processes and removed barriers identified by young people. Currys is using recruitment data to improve candidate progression and expand work experience. Auto Trader has redesigned parts of its recruitment process after analysing where candidates disengage.
Through their programmes, Fedcap have introduced mentoring, employer awareness days and guaranteed interviews for young people who have spent longer out of work. These organisations aren’t lowering standards. They’re broadening opportunity, recognising potential and proving that inclusive recruitment is good for business as well as young people.
Unlocking Britain’s Hidden Talent
I’m optimistic because we already know what works. The challenge now is to help young people engage with the world of work earlier, support businesses to build meaningful local opportunities, and bring partners together so this can happen collectively at scale.
If the government continues to empower local leaders, businesses continue to invest in early talent and we work together to create earlier pathways into work, we won’t just reduce the number of young people who are NEET. We’ll strengthen our economy, address skills shortages and help more young people realise their potential.
Britain’s biggest untapped asset isn’t hidden underground or locked away in new technology. It’s sitting in our classrooms, colleges and communities.
The question isn’t whether our young people have the talent. It’s whether we’ll create enough opportunities for them to realise it.
