More than a quarter of 24 year olds do not have Level 2 English and Maths qualification – TUC

• New TUC analysis shows that over one in four people at the age of 24 do not have Level 2 English and Maths qualification.
• Young people from poorer families are even less likely to have core qualifications – one in two 24 years olds who relied on free school meals do not have Level 2 English and Maths
• New TUC polling shows widespread cross-party support for action supporting young people into work.  
• In its submission to the Millburn Review into young people and work, the TUC urges the government to turbocharge its efforts.
• TUC General Secretary calls for new “shared national mission” to turn young people’s lives around and rebuild Britain

The TUC has today urged the government to “turbocharge” support for young people after a crisis that has been years in the making.

The call comes as the TUC publishes new analysis which shows that now over one in four (27.4%) people at the age of 24 in England do not have Level 2 English and Maths qualification.

And for those who relied on free school meals while at school, this is almost double (50%).

Lack of Level 2 qualifications is a strong predictor for becoming NEET among young people.

Those without Level 2 qualifications are also more likely to end up in low paid, precarious work and stay there, with limited progression opportunities impacting lifetime earnings.

Recent figures show that an estimated 957,000 people under the age of 24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

In 2021, NEET numbers stood at 747,000. But by the end of the Tory rule, they had risen by almost two hundred thousand to 921,000. While the government has now started to grasp the challenge, small increases have continued since 2024.

This rise in the number of NEET young people starkly shows the protracted human and economic cost of reckless Conservative policies – including widespread underinvestment in schools and further education, booming insecure work and worsening quality of jobs.

Widespread support for change

These calls come as the TUC publishes its post-election poll, which shows widespread cross-party support amongst the public for action targeted at supporting young people into work:

• More than half (51%) think that opportunities for young people are deteriorating, while a quarter (24%) think they are staying the same. Just 15% think they are getting better.
• Older people in particular agree that opportunities for young people are getting worse. Well over half (55%) of 65-74 year olds and almost two in three (64%) 75+ people think that opportunities for young people are deteriorating. And across parties far more voters think that opportunities for young people are getting worse.
• Two in three (66.6%) think that government action is needed to expand training, apprenticeships and secure entry level jobs so that young workers get a fair start to their careers – more than three times (20%) those who agreed instead with the statement that expanding government programmes for young workers risks wasting money on young people who don't want to work.
• This includes majority support across all parties – from Green to Reform.
• Two in three (62%) support paying 16-18 year‑olds in further education (e.g. taking a course at a college) a weekly allowance to help with costs such as travel and food. Just 14% opposed.
• This includes majority support across all age groups from young to old, and across all parties – from Green to Reform.

Time for change

TUC is urging the government to “turbocharge” support for young people.

In particular, in its submission to the Millburn Review into young people and work, the union body called on the government to:

• Expand the jobs guarantee for young people. While the TUC welcomes plans to improve employment opportunities, the scheme must go beyond 90,000 places over three years and offer quality experiences suitable to their needs. More young people need to access the jobs guarantee more quickly.  
• Ensure quality work. Poor-quality jobs can push young people out of the labour market, so the government must fully and swiftly implement the Employment Rights Act and the Make Work Pay agenda.
• Reform apprenticeships by improving quality, expanding provision and ensuring apprentices receive enough financial support to complete their training successfully.
• Ensure young people’s opportunities are a cross-government priority. The government should use its convening and spending power to drive action, targeting regions with the highest NEET rates and embedding this agenda across departments.
• Reform education funding. The government should work with unions on a sustainable tertiary workforce strategy; stabilise higher education funding; and address pressures on colleges and universities delivering apprenticeships and wider learning.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“We know that early experience of good quality paid work makes a huge difference to young people’s prospects across their lifetimes.

“But too many young people are stuck out of work for extended periods – and that has long-lasting effects for their own prospects and for the country as a whole.

“Our new analysis shows over a quarter of 24 year olds today don’t have both a level 2 English and Maths qualification – which rises to half for those from the poorest families.  Those without these key qualifications are more likely to end up stuck out of work.

“This is a crisis created by the Conservatives that has been years in the making. The government has taken important steps - like the jobs guarantee, stronger workers’ rights and the delivery of an industrial strategy. But it must now turbocharge its efforts.

“Turning things around for young people must be a shared national mission – that's how we start to rebuild Britain”.