Northern Ireland’s skills debate often begins with employer demand: vacancies, qualifications, productivity and recruitment. The ARK Policy Brief shifts attention to an earlier point in the pipeline, the young people who are NEET and who may become more distant from the labour market without sustained support.

The brief states that an estimated 20,000 young people aged 16-24 in Northern Ireland were not in education, employment or training between October and December 2025. It is careful to stress that this group is not uniform. Young people may be dealing with educational underachievement, poor mental health, homelessness, care experience, disability, addiction, domestic violence or contact with the criminal justice system. The policy challenge, therefore, is not simply to move young people quickly into jobs, but to build routes that recognise the complexity of their starting point.

The brief places particular weight on youth work as a route back into learning, confidence and employability. YouthStart, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is cited as an example of a programme using a youth work approach to support young people furthest from the labour market. Since 2023, it has supported 3,693 young people, with 892 progressing into paid work and 1,581 returning to formal education or further training.

For the North West, the brief does not provide region-specific data. A labour market that already faces skills shortages cannot afford to lose young people before they have had a realistic chance to build confidence, qualifications and workplace experience. The brief also notes concerns that jobs and opportunities can be Belfast-centric, while rural areas face distinct infrastructure barriers. That is compounded in a region where distance, transport and access to opportunity can shape whether a young person can participate at all.

The policy concern is fragmentation. Pathways to Success ended in 2020, and the brief argues there is now no dedicated strategy for young people not in education, employment or training. Funding instability adds further pressure, with UKSPF support moving into the Local Growth Fund and annual funding falling from £25 million to £9 million from April 2026.

This matters because youth inactivity is not separate from the skills challenge facing employers. If young people lose contact with education, training or work, the region loses future talent before it has had the chance to develop. For the North West, the priority is not just more programmes, but better-connected pathways that help young people move from support into skills and, where possible, into sustainable work.

Takeaway

Youth inactivity should not be treated as a marginal social issue. For the North West, it is part of the skills pipeline: early, stable and flexible support for young people is also an investment in the region’s future workforce.

You can read the full ARK Policy Brief here: How youth work creates opportunities for young people to engage with education, employment and training