Tackling youth NEET numbers with the new Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship

Released in late May 2026, the ‘Young people and work: interim report’, authored by the Rt Hon Alan Milburn, delivered a stark message: Britain’s youth unemployment crisis has evolved from a temporary economic hitch into a deep, structural detachment. With the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) topping 1 million for the first time in over a decade, Milburn’s report did not pull its punches, calling the situation a ‘moral crisis’.

The statistics make for an uncomfortable read. Milburn shows that youth worklessness is costing the UK economy an estimated £125 billion each year in lost productivity, dwindling tax revenues and surging health and welfare spending. However, the report makes clear that these outcomes are not the result of failures of character, motivation or ambition on the part of individuals , but are instead due to fundamental failures of the systems designed to support young people. 

Commissioned to diagnose the root causes of youth inactivity, this first ‘discover phase’ of the report will help to shape the government’s Youth Guarantee pledge – the national initiative ensuring that every young person has a clear pathway to earn or learn. While the official ‘solutions phase’ of Milburn’s report will follow later this year, the government has already started formulating its structural response.

An example of this response is the launch of the new Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship, available only to 16-24 year olds and designed to create tangible new opportunities for young people. This, along with other new apprenticeship standards, is supported by an array of new employer incentives to encourage local businesses to open their doors to young talent.

At the same time, colleges and training providers are adapting to new gaps in their portfolios as a result of the removal of funding for management apprenticeships at levels 3 – 6 and the restriction of funding for Level 7 apprenticeships.

Rather than viewing the portfolio gaps and Milburn’s exposure of the youth unemployment crisis in isolation, now is the time for providers to consider how they can deliver these new courses to meet the needs of young people and employers in their local communities. This piece will explore the Milburn report in more detail, and consider the ways that colleges and training providers can meet the needs of young people and local communities by expanding their own portfolios.

For many 16-24 year olds, traditional pathways have completely evaporated. Aggravated by a deepening mental health crisis and the lingering effects of the pandemic, there are now over 1 million young people identified as NEETs. Alan Milburn’s interim report identifies a number of structural barriers to work that the government, training providers and employers must overcome in order to offer a brighter future for the UK’s young people.

The ‘bedroom generation’

A significant proportion of today’s NEET demographic are often referred to as the ‘bedroom generation’. These are young people whose crucial adolescent years were disrupted by the immediate impact and after-effects of pandemic isolation and fractured schooling. Without the historic informal entry points into the working world – such as local weekend jobs or physical work experience – many young people have found themselves socially, physically and economically isolated. The resulting surging youth mental health crisis – particularly around anxiety and depression – further exacerbates the issue, itself becoming a barrier to the workplace or further training.

The experience catch-22

Even for those who are ready for and actively seeking work, the lack of experience and the mechanisms of modern recruitment present a new hurdle. Today, even entry-level recruitment is dominated by automated applicant tracking systems, digital screening portals and one-way recorded video interviews. 

The algorithm-driven filters are inherently rigid. Designed to screen applicants out rather than let them in, candidates are frequently automatically rejected based on a lack of keywords or traditional experience. This presents a frustrating catch-22 for young job seekers who need experience in order to pass the digital screening process, but who are unable to gain the experience they need because of the very same process. Combined with the broader economic loss of low- and medium-skilled roles, entry-level jobs for those starting their working lives are increasingly harder to find.

The local communications gap

The report reveals a crucial disconnect in communication and visibility. The issue is not always a total absence of opportunity – in many cases vacancies, training programmes and support pathways are simply not accessible by the young people who need them most.

Traditional job boards and standard outreach methods fail to reach an isolated 16-24 demographic. At the same time, local employers – particularly SMEs – often lack the recruitment and marketing resources needed to find, engage and onboard local young talent. This communication void places employers and young people on the opposite sides of an increasingly wide gap,

While the national policy response to the Milburn report remains to be seen ahead of the publication of the ‘solutions’ phase, further education colleges and training providers do not need to wait to take action.

Filling the portfolio gap

The defunding of management apprenticeships, and the restriction on funding for Level 7 apprenticeships, has left a noticeable gap in professional services training portfolios, but the introduction of the new Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship offers the ideal solution.

There has been no apprenticeship provision available for Level 2 learners in business administration since 2020, but over the years, there has been continued lobbying by employers and providers to introduce a new occupational standard at this level to meet employer demand. The old Level 2 apprenticeship framework in place before 2020 was very popular, with around 30,000 starts each year – 83% of which were under-19s.

A dedicated pathway for 16-24 year olds

This new apprenticeship standard is not just another general training scheme: it has been designed specifically as a targeted intervention for 16-24 year olds, intended to re-engage the ‘bedroom generation’ and help propel them into the world of work.

For local businesses, the Level 2 Administration Apprenticeship helps to mitigate  the risks often associated with onboarding an entry-level team member with no prior experience. Backed by the Youth Guarantee’s financial incentives, the standard significantly lowers the financial barrier to entry for local employers, encouraging them to open their doors to young talent.

By offering this new apprenticeship standard, colleges and training providers can simultaneously broaden their professional portfolios as well as meet the demands of local businesses, through a structured, supported and financially beneficial training model.

As part of the government’s updated Youth Guarantee framework, a number of financial incentives have been introduced encourage entry-level hiring.

Expand the sections below to explore the funding and tax relief available to employers who hire young apprentices.

Offering a highly relevant apprenticeship standard is a strong start to helping to address youth unemployment. For young NEETS, the way in which the knowledge component is delivered must take into account the psychological and social barriers identified in the Milburn report. While many employers (and learners) may instinctively prefer a distance learning approach, this can risk further isolating a young person who is already struggling with social anxiety and detachment. To successfully guide 16-24 year olds into the world of work, providers need a structure that balances flexibility with rigorous accountability.

The distance learning trap

For a vulnerable young person who may be navigating mental health challenges or a lack of workplace confidence, being handed a login to a passive online portal can further exacerbate their disengagement. Data across the sector suggests that unguided, purely remote learning models suffer from notoriously low completion rates – often as low at 10%. Without structured routine, face-to-face peer interaction and immediate human accountability, the online space quickly shifts from an accessible resource to one that reinforces a learner’s isolation.

Online and On Campus: the best of both worlds

Mindful Education’s Online and On Campus blended learning model offers a deliberate, structured alternative to distance learning or traditional classroom-study. Our ‘high challenge, high support’ methodology prepares learners for life beyond the exam hall, helping to ensure that younger learners gain a valuable understanding of the working environment from the outset. 

Our dynamic blend of online lessons and tutor-led sessions gives apprentices and employers the flexibility they seek without compromising the valuable interaction with tutors and peers which builds a supportive network.

Online 

Many courses that offer blended learning are simply traditional classroom sessions that are followed up with resources such as further reading or Youtube videos to watch at home. These resources are often at odds with course syllabuses, and add little value to the learner experience. Alternatively learners might find themselves with poor quality online materials that are not created with academic rigour and don’t cover the full course content.

Mindful education takes a different approach; : our ‘flipped blended’ model means that learners acquire foundational knowledge and key concepts via video lessons, activities and questions accessed via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Designed and maintained by our team of experienced academics and enhanced with engaging visuals created by our motion graphics team, learners engage in active learning and research which encourages them to self-regulate, a skill that is vital in the world of work.

Our online course content provides a range of features that empower people who may face barriers to accessing education, such as geographic isolation, different learning needs or language barriers. 

Find out more about how we keep our learners safe online >

On Campus 

On arrival to their classroom session, learners have already learnt key skills and concepts online. This allows tutors to focus on group work and collaboration which embeds learning, using the tutor resources and detailed analytics available on the VLE to identify and meet the needs of each group of learners, or individual student. By moving from simply delivering the syllabus to more of a coaching role, tutors can deliver bespoke sessions that are truly learner-driven.

Content tailored for young people

Created by our expert academics, our new Administration Assistant Apprenticeship is tailored to the learning needs of young people. 

For every lesson, our VLE has three sections – each designed to support the learning process.

Learn

The initial learn section follows a set of structured processes:

1. Explain what they are going to learn 
2. Encourage learners to think about what they know already 
3. Provide the learning at an appropriate level 
4. Present the learning in different ways to consolidate understanding 
5. Summarise what has been learned and check for understanding 

Apply

The apply section includes:

1. Knowledge quiz consisting of Level 2 multiple-choice questions (following the Kirkpatrick model)
2. Short scenario-based questions – learners engage with the content at a deeper level and within a set context, choosing the correct options or course of action within a set scenario
3. Portfolio or assessment work – free-text exercises that encourage the learner to contextualise the knowledge in their workplace and role, and in a format that can be directly used in their portfolio where appropriate 

Explore

The optional explore section encourages learners to engage with level-appropriate materials to develop their knowledge further. Uses shorter and less technical multimedia options such as podcasts, videos and blogs, which are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain up-to-date.

Learn more about the academic principles behind our Online and On Campus model >

Preparing for new course specifications can be time-consuming, often putting significant strain on delivery teams to write new schemes of work, design lesson plans and source high-quality learning resources.

Mindful Education’s VLEs offer ready-to-use materials and template lesson plans that complement the course calendar. This reduces preparation time and supports tutors with coaching and embedding learning. Our Curriculum Quality and Support team provides year-round support, enabling tutors to focus on delivering impactful sessions and driving learner outcomes. Meanwhile our market-leading analytics deliver detailed insights that enable tutors to keep learners on track throughout the course.

While the Milburn report can initially feel disheartening, it also offers colleges and training providers some clear direction for next steps. By exposing the structural barriers and isolation facing over 1 million young NEETs, the report provides fresh impetus  to drive local, community-driven change. 

At the same time, it helps solve a practical problem for colleges and training providers. With funding recently cut for older management courses, the new Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship provides a straightforward, popular course that offers a genuine stepping stone for young people. 

By adopting a blended learning approach to delivery, providers can help learners to build confidence, get into a routine, and move past isolation. It is a practical way for colleges to turn a national report into real, life-changing progress for the young people in their communities.

To help providers find out more about Mindful Education’s Online and On Campus Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship, we are running a short webinar on Wednesday 24 June at 1pm. Book your place here.

If you’re unable to attend the webinar, you can contact us at partnerships@mindful-education.co.uk  to arrange a meeting.