‘Alan Milburn is correct — I’m ending my grasp’s diploma and concern I’ll be a Neet for years’
Louis Guy is studying an integrated master’s degree in chemical engineering — but he is pessimistic about his chances of employment or training when he finishes his programme
Louis Guy fears he will be a Neet after he graduates(Image: Louis Guy / SWNS)
Students have backed Alan Milburn’s bleak forecast that the UK is “at risk of a lost generation”.
These include those young people on postgraduate courses, once held in high regard in various industries across the UK. Louis Guy is currently on an integrated master’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Nottingham, but he shares Mr Milburn’s fears.
Despite studying for four years on what he describes as a “really difficult degree”, Louis says he has struggled to secure a graduate role and fears the process is becoming “suffocating” for young people. Louis has spent 45 hours unsuccessfully applying for 15 jobs since January.
The 22-year-old man, who has been studying at the university since 2022, said: “It’s a shock to me because I’ve spent four years doing this master’s degree in engineering. I was aware going into university that the job market was horrible, but I thought if I pushed myself through such a difficult degree then I’d be able to get somewhere with those qualifications.”
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The review highlights fears 1.25million young people could be out of work, training or education within the next five years. The former Labour Cabinet minister has subsequently published his first major government-commissioned report into the number of “Neets” – those not in education, employment, or training.
Louis, from Lenton, Nottingham, believes he will soon fall into this category and worries about the impact this will have on his life. He added: “Applying for jobs and placements is a job in itself. There are so many steps, barriers and phases to it. It’s like they assume you’re only applying for that one company, so they consume all your time. It can take a whole day just to apply for two jobs because the applications take so long.
“University has completely bankrupted me, so I feel forced to just go into something. I’m lucky because my parents can support me over the summer and for the next few months, but there are people who don’t have that and it’s terrifying. If I can’t find a job in the next couple of months, I’ll probably have to move back home.”
The student said he has been juggling applications alongside his studies, which he said “became overwhelming”. Mr Miliburn stressed young people are not lazy or part of a “snowflake generation” and insisted 16-24-year-olds are not to blame for the failures of state.
In his 216-page report, he said: “The story of not trying, being soft, being a snowflake generation — I just don’t buy it. I do not accept that mental health is simply an excuse.
“Nor do I accept that the answer is to tell young people who are struggling simply to try harder. These are myths. Sometimes cruel ones. Young people are not to blame. Institutions that should have provided opportunities to them are the ones that have failed.”
