Rio Ferdinand Foundation Calls for Urgent Collaboration to tackle Youth Disconnection
The Rio Ferdinand Foundation has welcomed the publication of Alan Milburn’s latest report into youth opportunity and social mobility, warning that the growing number of young people disconnected from education, employment and society represents “one of the defining social and economic challenges facing the UK.”
The report highlights that more than one million young people are now classified as not in education, employment or training (NEET), alongside growing concern around social disconnection, low confidence and lack of opportunity amongst young people across the country.
“We cannot accept a situation where over a million young people feel disconnected from opportunity, purpose and society itself. The biggest barrier facing young people is not a lack of talent but a disconnect among employers, systems, and communities.
“I’m not a politician but, my Foundation, has seen first-hand that there is no quick fix. If we want young people to succeed in work and life, we must invest much earlier, building confidence, trust, aspiration, relationships and real pathways into opportunity.
“Behind every statistic is a young person with talent, potential and ambition who simply hasn’t had the right support, networks or opportunities.”
For more than a decade, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation has worked alongside employers, schools, housing associations, local authorities, grassroots organisations and young people themselves to create pathways into employment, education and training through sport, culture and youth engagement.
Through partnerships with organisations including Warner Music Group, Ralph Lauren, Live Nation, Lyle & Scott, housing providers and a range of employers across multiple sectors, the Foundation has helped young people access mentoring, training, industry insight, work experience and employment pathways designed to make careers feel both visible and achievable.
The charity is also calling for greater use and reform of the Apprenticeship Levy to better support young people furthest from opportunity.
“There is huge untapped potential within the Apprenticeship Levy and wider employer investment that could help create meaningful pathways for young people if used more creatively and collaboratively.
Too much funding and opportunity still fails to reach the young people who need it most. We know many employers want to engage, invest and diversify their talent pipelines but often don’t know where to start or how to build trusted relationships with communities.
We need to stop seeing employability as simply a CV or interview problem. Many young people first need support to rebuild confidence, develop communication skills, widen their networks and believe that opportunity belongs to them too.”
The Rio Ferdinand Foundation is now calling on policymakers, employers, funders and delivery partners to work together on practical solutions that better connect young people to opportunity and help build a more inclusive workforce for the future.
Long-term solutions require collaboration between government, employers, education providers, communities and young people themselves, alongside sustained investment in early intervention and youth infrastructure.
“We don’t just need more conversations about young people; we need coordinated action with young people at the centre of it.”
The solutions already exist across communities and organisations up and down the country. The challenge now is whether we are willing to come together, invest properly and scale what works.
If government, employers and policymakers are serious about creating meaningful pathways into work and opportunity for young people, then we’re ready to work together to help make that happen.”
