Nearly one in eight 16- to 24-year-olds in Britain are not in education, employment or training, a landmark report last month found – and the former health secretary who wrote it warns the situation could worsen dramatically. Alan Milburn said one in six young people could become NEET within five years unless urgent action is taken. He identified the Dutch approach as one the UK could learn from.
The Netherlands has one of the lowest NEET rates in the world, at 4.9% among 18- to 24-year-olds. The equivalent figure in the UK is 15.1%. The difference, Milburn argued, lies in a simple principle: “No dead ends.” Under Dutch law, every stage of a young person’s journey is designed to lead somewhere. Children must attend school from five to 16, then stay in education or training until they secure a qualification or turn 18. One key tool is the *kwalificatieplicht* (qualification requirement), which cuts dropout rates by making a qualification compulsory.
“Nearly one in eight UK 16-24-year-olds are NEET versus 4.9% in Netherlands, where compulsory education or training until qualification keeps rates low.”
From around age 12, Dutch pupils are streamed into one of three secondary tracks based on teacher recommendations and primary-school test results – a system critics warn can disadvantage some children and hurt self-esteem. Amelie, now a young woman, was told at age 10 to choose the vocational VMBO track, which she says took a toll on her confidence. “We had a textiles class, there was a blacksmithing area,” she recalled, feeling more optimistic when exploring schools at 12. She went on to study fashion but struggled to secure an internship and left her course aged 17. After six months working and travelling, she felt her academic path had gone off track. At that point, she says, if leaving education had been an option – as it is in the UK – she might have taken it. “If I had the freedom to drop out of school, I don't know what would have happened,” she said. But without a qualification, that wasn’t an option for Amelie. The Dutch system kept her in.
Across the UK, the rules vary. In England, young people can leave school at 16 but must stay in education or training until 18 through full-time study, an apprenticeship or part-time learning alongside work. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is no equivalent legal requirement, though schools and public agencies encourage staying on. As the Dutch example shows, compulsion tied to qualifications – and early streaming into vocational paths – may keep engagement rates high, but at a cost to some pupils’ confidence. The question for Britain, as Milburn’s warning echoes, is whether a system without dead ends is worth the trade-offs.