The Education Secretary has called on further education colleges to help 16- to 18-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) return to learning, according to a Department for Education press release published on 11 November 2026. The appeal came at the Association of Colleges conference, ahead of Alan Milburn's final report on the NEET crisis.

The release says colleges would be encouraged to connect with employers and offer work experience as a route into jobs, rather than waiting for longer-term reform. In return, the government pledged to address barriers it says can discourage colleges from enrolling these young people, including greater flexibility on English and maths hours for returning NEET students and funding certainty for enrolling them. It also proposed changing how schools and colleges are measured to better recognise progress in English and maths and to discourage premature exam entries.

According to the release, the Education Secretary said almost 150,000 16- to 18-year-olds are currently NEET, and warned that many belong to a generation whose education was affected by Covid. The government listed longer-term measures including curriculum changes, new Level 1 qualifications, SEND reform, expanded vocational education and a greater role for local leaders in shaping 16 to 19 provision.