Investing in Young People Means Investing in Stoke-on-Trent’s Future | Personally Speaking

The reality for young people today is tough. The rising cost of living makes everyday essentials like food and transport harder to afford, while the financial burden of things like learning to drive or accessing training can feel out of reach. At the same time, secure and sustainable work remains difficult to find. These conditions make building independence and wellbeing all the harder — and contribute to mental health pressures that affect too many young people.

Across Stoke-on-Trent, the challenge of staying engaged after school is real. Official figures show that, around 22% of 16- and 17-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent were activity not known or NEET (not in education, employment or training) — significantly above many other areas of the country.

Nationally, around one in eight (about 12.7%) young people aged 16–24 were NEET in spring 2025 — roughly 946,000 young people across the UK. Being NEET before the age of 24 can make it harder to build long-term careers, increase lifetime earnings and improve economic stability — and also has lasting impacts on wellbeing and confidence.

Local initiatives such as the Youth Employment Skills (YES) programme has been a flagship partnership between several local organisations, all with one goal; to help young people aged 16-24 move into education or further education. The project has successfully supported almost 500 young people since January 2024, helping them into sustained employment, develop their skills and building their confidence. This collaboration between Landau, The Inspirational Learning Group, Stoke City Community Foundation, YMCA North Staffordshire and the Youth Offending service has built a reputation throughout Stoke-on-Trent for being a force for positive change for the young people of the city.

There is also excellent work being delivered through the Stoke on Trent Youth Collective, Shaw Trust and the ambitious Future Ready Pledge, delivered with the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce to bridge the gap between employers and young people. But we still have work to do.

National data show that over the past decade, spending by local authorities on youth services has fallen by around 70 %, with more than £1 billion of cuts in real-terms and the closure of many youth centres and support roles. Despite this, recent government strategies have introduced new funding streams — including an expanded Youth Guarantee worth hundreds of millions — designed to help young people access training, work and community activities. These shifts illustrate both the scale of past reduction in investment and the new opportunities available now.

The real question we should be asking as a city is this: how do we continue to support our young people in meaningful ways — especially when barriers to opportunity remain high? If Stoke-on-Trent truly wants to tackle unemployment, bolster wellbeing, and ensure its young residents thrive, then investing in opportunities for young people cannot be optional.

Supporting young people isn’t simply about programmes — it’s about investing in the future of our whole city.