Introduction
This survey, consisting of 13 questions from multiple choice to written answers, gather honest insights from young people in the UK aged 16-25 about the barriers to participation in employment, education and training. Most importantly, the purpose of this survey was to note what could increase participation. 64 respondents aged 16-25 have taken part in this survey, living in locations from Greater Manchester, to London, and even Northern Ireland.
1. Barriers to access and stability is a major factor preventing youth participation
2. Consistent, responsive support was highlighted as the most needed support
3. Inclusive, adaptable policies are required to enable young people to engage fully and persist over time
I conducted an online survey, published across platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and other youth organisations between 06/01/2026 to 25/01/2026. Key findings to follow
Moving forward, I will elaborate on the main concerns of young people about their participation in education, employment, and training. Such information and analysis include infographics, metrics, and specific quotes from respondents how voluntarily submitted their name and age.
The Survey Questions
The following section presents each survey question alongside its analysis to provide a clear examination to the factors influencing young people’s participation in education, employment, and training. SURVEYS are well-suited to this age group, offering a practical method to capture their experiences, accessible via online formats.
However, be aware that survey answers will vary in length – depending on the time of day the survey was completed at, and on length/complexity of experience.
Question 1: Which of the following best describes what you are mainly doing right now?
Multiple choice – aimed to see the demographic of respondents who were either in education, employment, and training, not in it at all, or bordering between the three.
Question 2: Have you moved out of education, employment or training in the past year?
Yes or No – wanted to see the proportion of young people who perhaps had removed access
Question 3: If yes, what was the most recent change you made? Written answer – intended to uncover the barriers and motivations that affect participation
Question 4: What factors have influenced your decision to leave/avoid delay/feel reluctance toward education, training or employment?
Tick box – Intended to uncover the barriers and motivations toward education, employment or training
Question 5: How easy or difficult is it for you to sustain the participation over time? 1 is easy, 10 is difficult.
Rating – seeking to measure the perceived challenges of maintaining engagement over time, presenting how consistent participation may be affected by external pressures.
Question 6: What makes participation hard to sustain for you? Written answer – Allows respondents to detail specific obstacles to sustained engagement, providing insight for service providers to address genuine issues.
Question 7: When you struggle, as a young person do you know where to go for help?
Multiple choice – Assesses awareness and accessibility of support services, identifying gaps in guidance and knowledge.
Question 8: Which types of support feel hardest to access? Tick box – Designed to pinpoint which supports (financial, emotional, educational etc) are most difficult to obtain, guiding improvements for providers.
Question 9: Have you ever left education, training or employment because you felt unsupported?
Yes or No – Aiming to understand the impact of lack of support on retention and participation, presenting areas where interventions are critical.
Question 10: Which of the following describes how education, training or employment fits into your life right now? Is it manageable?
Multiple choice – Exploring how young people balance commitments and whether current structures are flexible or realistic for them.
Question 11: Which one change would have the biggest impact on your participation in education, training or employment.
Written answer – Identifies priority interventions that could make the most meaningful difference to young people’s engagement.
Question 12: What makes participation feel possible for you?
Written answer – Focusing on enablers and positive factors, highlighting what works well and can be strengthened in education, employment or training. Question 13: What do you want policymakers to understand about your experience?
Question 13: What do you want policymakers to understand about your experience?
Written answer – Intended to provide firsthand perspectives, giving policymakers concrete examples of challenges and successes to guide meaningful interventions.
General Observations
14% of respondents had moved out of education, employment, or training in the past year.
The main reason for this movement was due to transitions – e.g., ‘GCSE to Sixth Form,’ ‘A-Levels to working 38% of respondents said that education, employment, or training only fit into their life with a lot of effort – rather than with ease.
Many respondents claimed there was not much support to balance separate roles, along with 10% saying the education system often disengaged them, or didn’t support them enough for them to contribute enough time to it.
There was also a raised issue of young people having unease about the uncertainty behind technological change – where they believe that more access needs to be provided to adapt to that to reach or maintain steady employment.
Methodology
Method/Format: Online survey – Google Forms Participants: 64 young people in the UK aged 16-24 Platforms: Shared via social media Limitations: Small sample size, survey responses may not capture the views of all young people aged 16-24; primarily reflects those active online.
Type of questions: written word answers, multiple choice, tick box, rating.
The design of the survey questions
The survey was carefully designed to capture both qualitative and quantitative insights from the respondents. The closed-ended questions provided numerical data in barriers and supports. The open-ended questions allowed respondents to share personal experiences and direct quotes if they so wished. The data has been analysed by identifying key themes, patterns, trends, and grouping responses by common barriers and proposed solutions.
Notable Metrics and Statistics
Approximately 1/3 of respondents (32.8-%) indicated that financial pressures influence their participation in education, employment, or training. This suggests that short-term economic needs are a significant factor, potentially limiting engagement for young people who must prioritise income over learning or training.
Around 28% of respondents reported feeling unsupported as a barrier. While lower than financial or opportunity-related factors, this still represents over one in four young people, highlighting that a lack of guidance or mentorship is a non- negligible challenge affecting sustained participation.
The largest single response (Lack of opportunities/Unclear progression or outcomes, 37.5%) indicated that structural limitations in the availability of education, employment, or training affect more than a 1/3 of young people surveyed. Equally, uncertainty about the future or return on investment in education or training in particular is a very critical barrier – as much as the absence of opportunities themselves.
A notable proportion: 17.2% of respondents rated the difficulty as 6 or 7, while 10.9% rated it as 8, suggesting that a significant group experiences moderate to high challenges in maintaining ongoing engagement. Conversely, 15.6% rated their experience as 4, indicating that for some, sustaining participation is manageable. This spread demonstrates that youth do not face a uniform set of challenges; some struggle more than others, reflecting differences in support systems or personal circumstances.
The presence of responses at the higher end of the scale (particularly 10) is especially important for understanding youth participation. Ratings closer to 10 signal serious barriers that could lead to disengagement or dropout if not addressed. These barriers might include financial pressures, limited access to resources, lack of motivation, or external responsibilities such as work or family care. While the majority of respondents are not clustered at the extreme, the existence of high difficulty ratings highlights the need for time to interventions to support at risk youth and ensure sustained participation.
Conclusions from this data:
It can be reasonably assumed that high difficulty of ratings
Metrics and correlate with a greater likelihood of youth disengaging from education, employment, or training. Programmes aiming to improve participation should therefore focus on reducing barriers and providing support structures that make sustained engagement more manageable. If this is done, this could incite a Statistics
multiplier effect of more youth participating in education, employment and training if they feel more comfortable with their current commitments
Concerns from young people
This data shows that a majority of young people have some level of awareness about support, but it is often consistent. While 31.3% said mostly and 15.6% said always a larger share 37.5% answered sometimes, and 15.6% said not really. This suggests that while some you feel confident about accessing help, a significant proportion or uncertain or inconsistent in knowing where to turn when facing challenges.
This uncertainty may intersect with their abilities is the same participation, as seen in the previous data where many rates sustaining engagement as moderately difficult (6–8), indicating that access to support could directly impact persistence in education, employment, or training.
This survey shows that mental health support (45.3%) and career guidance (43.8%) are the types of support young people find hard hardest to access, with practical life and independent support (39.1%) and support during transitions (32.8%) also creating challenges. In contrast, trusted adult support and accessibility arrangements are much easier to reach, showing a clear difference in where young people encounter barriers. These findings connect with other data: many young people struggle to sustain participation overtime, with a significant number rating it as moderately to very difficult (6–8), and a large share only sometimes knowing where to go for help. Limited access to key supports like mental health services and career guidance appears to be a major factor in the struggles, leaving young people without the guidance or emotional support they need to stay engaged in education, employment, or training. This suggests that improving the availability and approachability of the services could make a real difference in helping young people possessed, navigate transitioned, and feel more confident and seeking help when they face challenges.
Quotes from respondents
Approximately 72% of respondents provided their name and age willingly for us to provide evidence of their answers. This was especially useful as the dominant age group eager for their concerns to be connected with a name was the 16-18 demographic.
Question: What makes participation hard to sustain for you?
‘Solely being critiqued on the rarely negative aspects of work, rather than being praised for the good parts and participation’
-Sofia Jaberi, 16
Young people feel demotivated when feedback focuses only on mistakes or negative points, making it harder to stay engaged. Perhaps introduce regular, balanced feedback that recognises achievements as well as areas for improvement to encourage continued participation.
‘A lot of people get deterred by the idea of their job not existing in a few years and don’t maximise their abilities due to a lack of awareness, which should ultimately be provided by employers and schools’ -Rameesha Memon, 19
Uncertainty about future job prospects and a lack of information about career pathways reduces motivation and limit skilled development. Schools and employers should provide up-to-date care guidance, industry awareness, and skills development opportunities to help young people plan and feel confident in their future roles.
‘The lack of support mainly, in school we weren’t taught to do these things so it’s difficult to navigate’
-Aaliyah Likuluta, 21
Insufficient guidance and assistance make it difficult for young people to overcome challenges and maintain engagement. Ensure consistent access to mentoring, pastoral support, and practical guidance within an educational and training settings to help sustain participation.
Question: What do you want policymakers to understand about your experience?
‘To give young people equal opportunities especially in terms of employment, no matter what their status is in the country or where they’re from’
-Abdullah Abrar, 18
This demonstrates firsthand the structural barriers some young people faced due to nationality, immigration status, or regional inequalities. Policy makers need to recognise that access to employment isn’t just about skills – it’s also about removing systemic obstacles that prevent certain groups from competing on unequal footing.
‘That young people are deeply affected by decisions made about us, and were often balancing participation alongside college, work, caring responsibilities, and our own well-being’
-Prusha Ali, 16
This points to the complexity of young peoples lives and how policy decisions ripple into everyday realities. Policies need to account for the multiple pressures youth navigate, ensuring flexibility and recognition that participation is not a single – focused activity but one negotiated alongside of the responsibilities.
‘Everyone’s experience is different and not generic, our experiences can change/shift depending on our personal goals and life situations.’
-Emmanuël Richard Jah, 19
This quote stresses the importance of tailoring policies and programs to individual circumstances rather than a blanket approach. Effective support must be adaptable acknowledging that young peoples needs evolve overtime and differ based on aspirations, challenges, and life context.
What One change would have the bigger impact on your participation in Education, Training, Or Employment?
Common themes found when respondents were asked this question was the need for equal opportunities, recognition of young people’s diverse experiences, information provision, and clear roadmaps of opportunities. With policies acknowledging these factors, young people can participate willingly, eagerly, and with more certainty of their futures – as the motivation for youth participation is the lasting benefit, whether it be transferable skills, social interaction, a stable income etc.
By Astrid King