New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that almost one in eight young people aged 16–24 in the UK are currently classified as NEET — not in education, employment, or training.
Key Statistics:
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From January to March 2025, 12.5% of 16–24-year-olds were NEET, down slightly from a year earlier.
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That equates to approximately 923,000 young people, though the number remains very high.
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Among this group, 354,000 are unemployed and actively seeking work, while 569,000 are economically inactive.
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Gender breakdown shows 13.2% of young men and 11.7% of young women are NEET.
Why This Matters to the Masonry Academy
These figures underline a critical challenge — but also a major opportunity — for the National Masonry Academy. With a significant number of young people disconnected from education and work, our mission to provide high-quality, industry-relevant training has never been more important.
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Filling the Gap: Our apprenticeship and technical training programmes can offer real, sustainable alternatives for NEET young people — putting them on a path toward a skilled, well-paid career.
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Boosting Social Mobility: By reaching out to NEET individuals, we can help break cycles of inactivity and unemployment, especially in sectors like construction where skilled labour is very much needed.
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Strengthening the Industry Pipeline: Training NEETs not only benefits them—it benefits the entire masonry supply chain. We can build a pipeline of motivated, well-trained masons ready to contribute to major UK construction projects.
Call to Action
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We urge employers and training partners to support and promote our scheme to young people who may currently be outside education or work.
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If you know someone aged 16–24 who is NEET, please encourage them to consider the Academy — their future (and our industry) depends on it.
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We’re also looking to expand outreach efforts: if your organisation can help us reach NEET communities (schools, youth centres, local authorities), we’d love to work together.
