The UK Government and defence industry have pledged to provide more than 40,000 opportunities a year for young people, rising to around 50,000 annually by 2035, as ministers step up efforts to tackle persistent youth inactivity and rebuild the disappearing first rung of the career ladder.
The UK Government and some of Britain’s biggest defence employers have committed to dramatically expanding apprenticeships, work experience and employment pathways for young people as part of a new drive to tackle the country’s youth employment crisis. Under the new Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge, government and industry will collectively increase opportunities for people aged under 25 by 25%, with targeted support for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or are at risk of becoming NEET.
The shared commitment is expected to provide more than 40,000 opportunities for young people annually by the end of this Parliament, rising to approximately 50,000 a year by 2035. The agreement forms part of the Government’s wider commitment to support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 jobs, training and learning opportunities, backed by an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 through the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy.
Around 300,000 opportunities are expected to come through expanded workplace experience and training, while a further 200,000 employment opportunities are expected to be supported through measures including up to £5,000 in apprenticeship funding, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers recruiting eligible young people who have been unemployed for six months, and the Government’s Jobs Guarantee.
Fair Play Talks recently reported that the first young people have started paid jobs under the Government’s Jobs Guarantee, which is expected to support more than 90,000 young people into fully funded six-month jobs over the next three years. The latest initiative comes against the backdrop of persistently high youth economic inactivity and growing concerns that traditional entry-level routes into work are disappearing.
NEARLY ONE MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE REMAIN NEET
The latest figures show an estimated 981,000 people aged 16–24 were not in education, employment or training between April and June 2026, equivalent to around 13% of the age group. That was around 30,000 fewer than the previous quarter, but approximately 30,000 higher than a year earlier.
Earlier this year, the total exceeded one million for the first time since 2013, prompting warnings of a potential “lost generation” as entry-level jobs disappeared and young people faced growing barriers to gaining their first foothold in the labour market.
Fair Play Talks explored the issue in Britain’s “Lost Generation”: 1m Young People Locked Out of Work as Entry-Level Jobs Vanish. The Government-commissioned Young People and Work Review has also highlighted an important distinction between economic inactivity and willingness to participate. Around six in 10 NEET young people surveyed had never had a job, while 84% said they wanted to work, study or train.
The findings point towards a growing mismatch between young people seeking opportunities and a labour market in which many employers increasingly expect candidates to have previous experience before they have had the opportunity to acquire it.
MORAL EMERGENCY
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting described the scale of youth inactivity as a “moral emergency”. “This government has delivered the biggest sustained increased in defence spending since the Cold War, to strengthen our deterrence and defend against evolving threats,” he said. “We are using that investment to create new opportunities for young people, both because it is a moral emergency that a million young people are out of work or education and because without creating good, well-paid, high-skilled jobs in defence industries, we cannot keep our country safe.”
The pledge was developed with major defence employers including Airbus, Babcock, BAE Systems, Helsing, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, MBDA, Navantia, Palantir, QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Thales. It will form part of the forthcoming Defence Jobs Plan and builds on the Government’s £182 million defence skills package.
DEFENCE FACES ITS OWN SKILLS CHALLENGE
The initiative is not solely a youth-employment programme. It is also intended to address the defence industry’s growing demand for skilled workers. The pledge states that around one million 16–24-year-olds are currently outside education, employment or training, while manufacturing and other employers need to renew an ageing workforce.
UK defence spending is due to rise to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. ADS estimates that the defence sector supported around 189,500 roles in 2025, with employment potentially growing by between 25% and 50% between now and 2035.
Skills England has separately identified demand for an additional 53,000 people in priority engineering, computer science, craft-related and project-management roles over the same period. As the pledge puts it: “The workforce of tomorrow is in our classrooms and communities today.”
FOUR MAJOR COMMITMENTS
The Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge contains four major commitments covering apprenticeships, work experience, employment pathways and careers outreach.
1. At least 14,000 people supported through apprenticeships
By 2035, the UK defence sector and its supply chain have pledged to support at least 14,000 people annually through apprenticeship programmes, representing around 4–6% of the workforce. That would represent a 25% increase on 2025 apprenticeship numbers.
Defence employers already offer apprenticeships from Levels 2 to 7 across technical, digital, engineering and specialist occupations. The pledge also promises closer links between employers, Defence Technical Excellence Colleges and further and higher education to strengthen progression from technical education into apprenticeships and longer-term careers.
The commitment comes as the UK faces wider concerns over future skills shortages and whether employers are investing sufficiently in developing their own future workforces. Fair Play Talks has previously reported how employers, unions and education providers are being urged to collaborate more closely to tackle Britain’s growing skills crisis.
2. Work experience and placements to rise 25%
By 2035, the defence sector and its supply chains have committed to increasing work experience and placement opportunities by 25% against their 2025 baseline. The pledge explicitly recognises one of the central barriers confronting young people attempting to enter the labour market.
It states that entry-level opportunities have reduced in many parts of the labour market while employers increasingly expect applicants to have prior experience. That combination can make it particularly difficult for young people who are already NEET, or at risk of becoming NEET, to secure their first opportunity.
Government and industry have pledged to connect work experience more clearly to further training, apprenticeships or employment, with employers providing meaningful experiences, mentoring and a defined next step. Fair Play Talks has highlighted similar employer action elsewhere. Sainsbury’s recently announced around 10,000 work experience opportunities, including programmes aimed at communities where young people face greater barriers to employment.
3. 25% more support for young people at risk of becoming NEET
The third commitment targets youth economic inactivity directly. By 2035, the UK defence sector and its supply chains have pledged to support 25% more young people under 25 who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET through dedicated youth employment pathways.
The sector will also aim to increase by 25% the number of people progressing annually through defence early-career and higher-education pathways compared with the 2025 baseline. Opportunities will be connected with programmes including the Youth Guarantee, Sector-based Work Academy Programmes, Connect to Work and the emerging Jobs and Careers Service.
Perhaps one of the more interesting elements for employers outside defence is the introduction of a “no-wrong-door” approach. With an applicant’s consent, suitable young people who are unsuccessful in securing one position could be considered for relevant opportunities elsewhere in the defence supply chain.
Rather than treating an unsuccessful application as the end of the process, the intention is to retain potential talent and redirect candidates towards another route.
4. Careers, STEM and community engagement up 25%
The defence sector has also pledged a 25% increase in careers, STEM and community engagement interactions every year by 2035 compared with its 2025 baseline. Government and employers will work with schools, colleges, Careers Hubs, Youth Hubs, Jobcentres and regional partners.
Activity will be particularly focused on communities experiencing high levels of youth inactivity and areas where defence employers face identifiable workforce demand. Employers will contribute ambassadors, mentors, equipment, technical expertise and employee time.
The pledge also commits government and industry to addressing practical barriers to participation and retention, including mentoring and pastoral support, entry requirements, SME capacity and appropriate help with security-clearance processes.
FIRST RUNG OF CAREER LADDER ‘HAS DISAPPEARED’
Alan Milburn, Chair of the Young People and Work Review, said restoring those early-career opportunities is critical. “Every young person deserves a first chance into work, but for too many the first rungs of the career ladder have disappeared,” he said. “Defence is one of our great industries – it has both the scale and the opportunity to give young people the experience, skills and confidence they need to build a career. This commitment from industry and government is exactly the kind of action that can change young people’s lives. It is a win-win. More opportunities for young people. A sustainable supply of skilled labour for industry. It shows what is possible when employers step up.”
His warning reflects a much broader labour-market challenge. The CBI has warned that rising employment costs are squeezing entry-level jobs, apprenticeships and training, potentially making it even harder for young people to secure their first opportunity. Technology could add further pressure.
Recent research reported by Fair Play Talks found that 62% of workers believe AI is reducing entry-level hiring, while 43% believed AI was already eliminating some entry-level positions within their organisations. The Mayor of London’s AI and Jobs Taskforce has similarly examined how AI could reshape early-career opportunities, prompting a £30 million plan to help workers, businesses and young Londoners prepare for AI-driven changes.
EMPLOYERS STEP UP
The defence companies signing the pledge argue that creating opportunities for young people can simultaneously address youth inactivity and their own longer-term workforce needs.
“As the UK’s largest defence company, we’re committed to providing opportunities for young people from all backgrounds, offering them meaningful and rewarding careers, whilst strengthening the UK’s industrial skills base,” said Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems Chief Executive. “Expanding pathways into defence will help to attract the breadth of talent needed to deliver the next generation of military equipment, from fighter jets and submarines to cyber, space and drone capabilities, enabling our outstanding armed forces to keep Britain safe. With technology developing at an unprecedented pace and global threats evolving rapidly, there’s never been a more important time to join our sector.”
A strong defence sector “depends on a strong pipeline of talent”, shared Harry Holt, Babcock International CEO. “Every year, Babcock supports hundreds of apprentices, graduates, and trainees, helping young people develop the skills needed for rewarding careers in defence, engineering and technology. “This commitment builds on the work we are already doing to widen access to opportunities, including work experience, pre-apprenticeship programmes and STEM outreach. We are proud to work alongside government and industry colleagues expanding pathways into defence, building the skilled workforce needed to support national security and drive economic growth.”
This latest commitment will build on this longstanding support, “while also helping deliver the right workforce of skilled employees to meet the needs of the Defence sector in the years ahead”, noted Chris Allam, MBDA UK Managing Director. “MBDA has, for many years, offered young people opportunities to understand potential career options, experience the workplace and be ready to transition from education into employment in a structured and supported way.”
INVESTING IN TOMORROW’S TALENT
“We at Rolls-Royce have seen first-hand how early career opportunities in defence build a stronger industrial base with cross-sector benefits,” Tufan Erginbilgiç, CEO of Rolls-Royce. “We are proud to partner with the UK government and our industry peers to invest in the talent of tomorrow, not only for today’s programmes but for the capabilities the UK will need in the future. A strong defence sector is built on the people who power it, and this pledge reflects a shared commitment between the UK government and industry to strengthen UK national resilience and security.”
Chris Shaw, Thales UK Chief Operating Officer, said: “At Thales, we believe the next generation of defence talent should have a clear route into skilled, rewarding careers – backed by genuine work experience, high-quality apprenticeships and the right support along the way.
“Today’s commitment will help widen access for 18–24-year-olds to opportunities with our industry partners, and we welcome the drive to ensure everyone can see what comes next after taking their first step. We’re determined to do our part in building a workforce for the long term – one where young people across the UK can gain the skills, confidence and qualifications they need to shape both their own futures and that of the UK.”
CLEAR ROUTES INTO SKILLED CAREERS
“As a former apprentice, getting more young people into the sector is a personal mission for me and I really welcome the long-term commitment government and industry partners are making to young people,” shared Paul Livingston CBE, Lockheed Martin UK Chief Executive. “The pathway will open doors that young people thought were closed and bring huge value to themselves, the businesses they join, and the UK’s economic and national security.”
Steve Wadey, QinetiQ Group CEO, believes the corporate world has a responsibility to create the right opportunities for today’s youth. “It’s today’s young people who’ll be responsible for developing the technologies and capabilities that will help protect our nation in the future, so we have a responsibility to ensure they can access the right opportunities. Working together across industry and government to provide more work experience, apprenticeships and early careers pathways will help create a skilled, innovative and diverse workforce to help solve some of the nation’s most complex challenges.”
Kata Escott, Airbus Defence and Space UK Managing Director, agrees. “By opening new, accessible pathways into highly skilled engineering and manufacturing careers, we are not just strengthening our sovereign industrial base, but ensuring the next generation has the confidence and opportunity to succeed,” stated Escott. “Airbus is proud to support this important national effort, leveraging our footprint across the UK to provide young people with life-changing apprenticeships and hands-on experience in some of the world’s most advanced aerospace and defence programmes.
OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST
Paul Oxley, ADS Skills Director General, highlighted the potential geographic reach of the initiative, noting that around 75% of the defence sector’s footprint sits outside London and the South East. “With an industry presence spanning the entire length and breadth of the UK – where 75% of our footprint sits outside of London and the South East – the defence sector offers huge, life-changing career potential for young people everywhere, across a vast and exciting range of skill sets,” he said.
“It has been our absolute pleasure to work in partnership with the Ministry of Defence in drafting the upcoming Defence Jobs Plan. A core focus of this plan will be bringing to life how industry and government work hand-in-hand to fulfil the ambitions and aspirations set out in today’s pledge, securing a prosperous future for the next generation of talent.”
DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALENT
This pledge is a “crucial step in opening doors and giving young people across the country a clear route into critically important, well-paid careers that protect our nation”, noted Ned Baker, Helsing UK Managing Director. “Helsing builds software-defined defence systems for our armed forces, and we rely on having the right talent behind our technology. Modern defence tech needs practical, creative problem-solvers who bring a diversity of thought and approach.”
Clive Higgins, UK Chair and CEO of Leonardo, also believes that developing the next generation of talent is essential to the future strength of the UK defence sector. “By signing the Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge on behalf of Leonardo, I am reaffirming our commitment to creating opportunities for young people through STEM engagement, work experience, apprenticeships and a range of early careers pathways,” said Higgins. “Investing in future skills helps strengthen our industry, supports social mobility and helps ensure the sovereign capability needed to deliver prosperity and resilience for the years ahead.”
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR EMPLOYERS
Although the pledge focuses on defence, its underlying challenge applies much more widely. Young people cannot acquire experience unless employers are prepared to give them an opportunity to gain it.
For organisations facing skills shortages, ageing workforces or succession challenges, work experience, apprenticeships and entry-level recruitment should therefore not be viewed solely as social-impact initiatives. They are investments in the future talent pipeline.
That is particularly important when employers simultaneously report skills shortages while reducing the junior roles through which workers traditionally acquire those skills. Fair Play Talks highlighted the wider consequences in its Social Mobility Day analysis of Britain’s growing opportunity gap.
Young people with family or professional connections may find placements, mentoring and introductions relatively easily. Those without those networks can struggle to get through the first door. The defence pledge’s focus on communities experiencing high youth inactivity could therefore prove as important as the headline number of opportunities.
WHAT EMPLOYERS CAN DO NEXT
Employers across sectors do not need to wait for a national programme to start rebuilding routes into work. Organisations can:
- Create meaningful work experience with defined learning objectives rather than observation-only placements.
- Protect apprenticeships and genuinely entry-level jobs as routes through which young people can develop workplace skills.
- Review experience requirements and remove unnecessary demands for previous employment from genuinely junior positions.
- Build clear progression routes from work experience into training, apprenticeships and paid employment.
- Reach beyond existing networks by working with schools, colleges, Careers Hubs, Jobcentres, charities and community organisations.
- Offer mentoring and practical support, particularly for young people who have had little previous exposure to professional workplaces.
- Consider a “no wrong door” approach, referring good candidates to alternative roles or partner employers rather than simply rejecting them.
- Measure progression, not just participation, tracking how many young people move from placements into training, qualifications or sustained employment.
The issue is becoming even more urgent as AI changes the composition of junior work. If automation removes routine tasks traditionally performed by people starting their careers, employers will need to redesign early-career jobs rather than simply eliminate them. Otherwise, businesses risk creating a paradox: demanding experienced and skilled workers in future while removing the opportunities through which today’s young people acquire that experience.
PRESSURE TO GO FURTHER
The Government nevertheless faces calls to significantly expand its response to youth unemployment. The TUC has proposed increasing the Jobs Guarantee to 225,000 places over three years. Its analysis, estimates that an expanded programme could generate almost £4.6 billion in long-term benefits to the public finances, generating approximately £2.69 for every £1 of government spending.
Earlier TUC analysis found that one in five unemployed young people had been out of work for more than a year, with the number of long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds more than doubling from 53,000 to 129,000 in three years.
FROM YOUTH CRISIS TO YOUTH OPPORTUNITY?
Taken together, recent developments suggest the policy debate is beginning to move beyond diagnosing Britain’s youth-employment problem towards creating more tangible routes into work. The Jobs Guarantee is beginning to move young people into paid employment. Major employers such as Sainsbury’s are expanding work experience. Government is investing billions through the Youth Guarantee. And sectors facing future skills shortages are being encouraged to create more of the first opportunities on which careers can be built.
But the ultimate test will not be how many opportunities are announced. It will be who can access them, what young people actually experience when they get there and whether those opportunities lead to sustainable careers. For employers, there is a wider lesson. Government can provide funding, incentives and infrastructure, but businesses ultimately control many of the doors through which young people enter the workplace.
Entry-level jobs, apprenticeships, mentoring and work experience are where future employees gain confidence, professional judgement, workplace skills and the networks that help careers develop. Reducing those opportunities may solve immediate cost pressures, but it can also weaken the future talent pipeline on which organisations will eventually depend.
The question responsible employers should therefore be asking is not simply: Where will we find the skilled people we need tomorrow? But: What opportunities are we creating today for young people to become them? As Milburn put it, the defence pledge demonstrates “what is possible when employers step up”.
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