More than half of young people are being priced out of jobs, education and training opportunities

Published on 25 September 2026

  • New Barnardo’s research finds 56% of young people have missed out on opportunities because they couldn’t afford costs such as travel, clothing, equipment or childcare 

  • More than a quarter (28%) have been priced out of opportunities multiple times 

  • Barnardo's new report focuses on young people furthest from work, who often face several barriers including poor mental health, disability, care experience and poverty, and calls for an expansion of targeted practical support 

  • 22-year-old Jake says: “Everything is just so expensive...and if you’re not bringing in any wages – it’s terrifying.” 

More than half of young people in England have been priced out of jobs, education and training opportunities, new research from leading children’s charity Barnardo’s reveals. 

A Censuswide survey of 1,000 16-25-year-olds in England found that 56%1 had turned down, not applied for or left a job, course, apprenticeship, work experience placement or other opportunity because they could not afford the associated costs (i.e. travel, clothing, equipment, course materials or childcare). Among this group, more than a quarter (28%) said this had happened to them more than once. 

The finding forms part of Barnardo’s report No Young Person Left Behind: Unlocking Opportunities for Young People Facing the Greatest Barriers to Education and Employment, which examines why some young people become disconnected from work and learning and what helps those facing multiple, overlapping barriers to take up and sustain opportunities. 

The report comes as nearly one million young people in the UK – around one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds – are currently not in education, employment or training, with the Rt Hon Alan Milburn’s final review into tackling the so-called “NEET crisis” due this autumn. Barnardo’s argues that young people facing poor mental health, disability or special educational needs, care experience, poverty, housing insecurity and other forms of disadvantage are at greater risk and need specialist support to break down barriers.2 

Jake*, 22, who grew up in care and has lived independently since he was 18, said the cost of simply looking for work became unaffordable. 

“After leaving school I was desperate to find a job,” he said. “I applied for anything and everything – I didn’t care if it was four hours a week or 40, I just wanted to do something. 

“I would go round shopping centres handing out my CV – but then it got to the point where I couldn't afford the trip into town, so I had to stop doing that. Everything is just so expensive, and the pressure when you’re completely responsible for yourself – but you’re not bringing in any wages – is terrifying.” 

Barnardo's argues that the financial assistance currently available to young people trying to take their first step on the career ladder is often fragmented, insufficient and narrowly targeted. The charity wants the existing 16-19 Bursary Fund strengthened, and proposes a Youth Opportunity Grant for young people aged 18 and over who are looking to move into work and cannot afford essential costs. 

It is asking the government to review and improve existing participation support schemes to ensure they reflect the real costs young people face when entering education, training, apprenticeships and employment. This would complement, rather than replace, existing support. 

The charity’s new research also exposes gaps in the support young people receive before entering the workplace. Nearly half (48%) see a lack of work experience as a barrier to finding work, while 42% say their school or college did not prepare them well for choosing a career and entering the world of work. 

Seven in ten (70%) of young people surveyed took part in activities such as work experience, employer talks, mentoring or workplace visits before leaving school or college. However, only 30% of those who participated said these opportunities were helpful. After leaving education, a quarter (25%) said they did not know where to get support and nobody contacted them. 

Barnardo’s Project Worker Erin, 28, herself spent time out of education, employment and training after leaving school at 16 and was referred to a Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills (ETS) service. 

“School teaches that you go from college, to university, to a job. If you fall out of that,  for whatever reason, you feel like a failure,” Erin said. 

“So many young people come to us feeling completely stuck, totally unable to take their next step because they don’t know what that next step actually is. Understandably, hope has become lost for them. It’s like looking in a mirror to myself before I found Barnardo’s.” 

Barnardo’s supported more than 2,000 16-24-year-olds in 2025/26 with specialist, personalised support to move into employment through initiatives including its 10-week JOBS programme, delivered with Amazon, IKEA and other businesses across nine UK locations. Between 2021 and 2026, this programme helped 649 young people progress into employment, further education, training or an apprenticeship. 

Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said: “Young people want to work. They want the independence, security and opportunities that work can bring. But our research shows that for too many, the cost of accessing an opportunity is becoming a barrier to the opportunity itself. 

“Things like bus fares and smart clothes might seem like minor expenses, but for a young person with little or no income, they can be the difference between taking up an opportunity and having to walk away from it. 

“Behind these figures are young people with talent, ambition and potential. We need a system that removes practical barriers, rather than allowing them to shut young people out. 

“That’s why we’re calling on the government to strengthen the financial assistance that is currently available for young people to access education, employment and training so that a young person’s financial circumstances do not determine whether they can take their first steps into work.” 

Hiliary Jenkins, Head of Social Impact & Community Engagement at IKEA, said: “Every young person should have the opportunity to build a future they can look forward to, regardless of their background or circumstances. Through our partnership with Barnardo’s, we’ve seen how important practical support and meaningful opportunities can be. We’re proud to work together to help more care-experienced young people like Jake their next steps.” 

Barnardo’s is calling on the government to: 

  • Ensure Young People Can Afford to Take Up Opportunities: Strengthen the 16-19 Bursary Fund and introduce a Youth Opportunity Fund to improve the support available to help young people meet the costs they face moving into education, training, apprenticeships and employment. Better targeted participation support would help cover the costs that many young people face regardless of whether they receive Universal Credit, ensuring financial barriers do not stand in the way of opportunity. 

  • Ensure Every Child Can Access High-Quality Careers Support: Strengthen careers guidance, employer engagement and work experience in schools, with targeted support for children facing the greatest barriers, so every child can build the skills, confidence and networks needed to succeed. 

  • No Child Should Fall Through the Cracks at 16: Strengthen the post-16 participation framework and provide dedicated funding for transition and re-engagement support, so young people at risk of falling through the cracks are identified early and helped to stay connected to education, training and opportunities. 

  • Invest in Employment Support That Works: Ensure young people facing barriers to work can access tailored, employment-focused support based on need rather than benefit status, helping them move into sustainable employment and stay there. 

For Jake, practical support and an opportunity from an employer ultimately made the difference. He now works full-time at IKEA after securing an interview through Barnardo’s JOBS programme. 

“Young people are capable of great things,” he said. “People are so much more than their exam results or their CV. 

“When I was getting constantly rejected, or my applications weren't even acknowledged, it made me want to give up. I felt like I wasn’t ever going to get anywhere. If you have determination and drive, you deserve to be given a chance.” 

ENDS 

Notes to Editors 

  • The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1000 nationally representative young people from England aged 16-25 . The data was collected between 02.09.2026 - 09.09.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles. 

  • Barnardo’s report is also informed by four focus groups with young people aged 18 to 25 who had accessed Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills services; three online focus groups with 18 frontline workers and two employer interviews. 

  • Barnardo’s Springboard Fund has helped young people participating in the JOBS programme meet costs including travel, work clothing, training and equipment. 

  • *Jake’s name has been changed. 

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