The National Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) Conference 2025

Past and Present Supporters include:

Overview

Agenda

• 9.00am

  Registration

• 9.50am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  Sam Avanzo Windett, Deputy Director, Learning and Work Institute (CONFIRMED)

• 10.00am

  Keynote: Early Intervention – How educators and Employers are Working Together Through Careers Education to Prevent Young People Becoming NEET

  • What the data tells us about the impact of high-quality careers education on young people’s outcomes
  • The importance of early identification and how schools are using a new Risk of NEET indicator to support those most at risk
  • How the Careers system and Gatsby Benchmarks are evolving to meet the needs of all learners and businesses.
  • The role of Modern Work Experience and how this links to NEET prevention and wider ambitions such as growth and promoting technical pathways.

  John Yarham, CEO, The Careers & Enterprise Company (CONFIRMED)

• 10.20am

  Keynote: Scaling the Youth Guarantee through Evidence and Experience

  • The importance of place based approaches and the Youth Guarantee trailblazer areas
  • Using high-quality evidence to inform further development of the Youth Guarantee policy and national rollout
  • The value of embedding young people’s voices and lived experiences in shaping future policy on youth employment
  • Aligning skills, education and employment policy with wider government reforms, including the National Youth Strategy

  Sarah Yong, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Youth Futures Foundation (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.40am

  Questions and Answers

• 11.00am

  Comfort Break

• 11.20am

  Backing Young People: The Role of National Organisations in Delivering the Youth Guarantee

  • Addressing the urgent challenge of nearly one million young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET)
  • Understanding the importance of the Youth Guarantee in securing brighter futures for young people across the UK
  • Exploring how The King’s Trust and national partners can support local delivery and scale impact
  • Highlighting the social and economic benefits of investing in youth for a more positive and cohesive society

  Richard Rigby, Head of UK Government Affairs, The King’s Trust (CONFIRMED)

• 11.40pm

  Supporting Young People into Meaningful Education, Employment, and Training

  Thomas Keaney, CEO and Founder, The Complete Education Solution (TCES) Group (CONFIRMED)

• 12.00pm

  Questions and Answers

• 12.20pm

  Lunch Break

• 1.00pm

  Breakout: Sharing Best Practice and Networking

  This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the main challenges you face in tackling NEET. Allowing you to share experiences and encourage cross sector collaboration.

   

• 1.40pm

  Keynote: Levelling the Playing Field: Community, Confidence and Career Pathways for Young People

  • Showcasing how Premier League clubs are creating positive opportunities for young people to build confidence and reach their potential
  • Exploring how local initiatives, like the Anfield Jobs Fair, align with the Government’s Youth Guarantee to support communities most in need
  • Understanding how youth and inactivity trailblazers are connecting work, health, and skills in areas with high economic inactivity
  • Highlighting collaboration between national programmes, local government, and employers to drive inclusion and long-term employment outcomes

  Nick Perchard, Director of Community, Premier League (CONFIRMED)

• 2.00pm

  Case Study: Building NEET Pathways through Network Rail’s Pre-Apprenticeship Pilot

  • Exploring Network Rail’s development of a dedicated pre-apprenticeship pathway for young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET)
  • Understanding how tailored NEET programmes can help bridge critical skills gaps across the rail industry and infrastructure sector
  • Strategies for effective outreach and engagement with the NEET community to promote inclusion and opportunity
  • Lessons learned and next steps for scaling the pilot and creating long-term employment pathways

  Alice Holloway, Network Rail (CONFIRMED)

   

• 2.20pm

  Case Study: Big Issue Recruit: Changing Lives Across the UK 

  Catherine Parsons, Managing Director, Big Issue Changing Lives CIC (CONFIRMED)

• 2.40pm

  Questions and Answers

• 3.00pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  *programme subject to change without notice

Get in Touch

Speakers

Sam Avanzo Windett

Deputy Director

Learning and Work Institute

John Yarham

CEO

The Careers & Enterprise Company

Sarah Yong

Director of Policy and External Affairs

Youth Futures Foundation

Richard Rigby

Head of UK Government Affairs

Thomas Keaney

CEO and Founder

The Complete Education Solution (TCES) Group

Clare Sumner CBE

Chief Policy and Social Impact Officer

Premier League

Karina Sam

Scheme Development Manager

Network Rail

Alice Holloway

Network Rail

Stuart Greenway

Director

Big Issue Recruit

Catherine Parsons

Managing Director

Big Issue Changing Lives CIC

Testimonials

Why You Should Attend

✓ Hear the latest policy updates and support measures available to help tackle youth unemployment
✓ Engage with a range of case studies demonstrating best practice approaches to support young people transitioning from education to employment
✓ Network with senior colleagues from across the public and voluntary sectors
✓ 8 hours’ worth of CPD points towards your yearly quota

Who Should Attend

• Work and Skills Teams looking to develop targeted employment pathways for young people

• Local Economic Development and Regeneration Teams aiming to reduce youth unemployment and support inclusive growth

• Local Employers and Brokerage Services seeking to engage with NEET programmes and build talent pipelines

• Colleges, Further Education Providers, and Universities involved in pre-apprenticeship and skills development initiatives

• Youth Engagement and Employment Teams delivering support services and early interventions

• Youth Services and NEET Strategy Teams responsible for designing and implementing local strategies to support disengaged young people

Pricing Options

Sponsorship

Raise your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business

If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us using the form below.

IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.

Virtual vs F2F

Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:

• Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
• Lower sponsorship package costs
• No travel/accommodation
• Less time out of the office
• No stand materials required (lower costs)
• 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
• Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
• Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
• Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)

To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below: