40,000 hidden NEETS: Youth problem worse than thought as Children's Commissioner finds tens of thousands enrolled in college but hardly attending

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 19:01 EDT, 8 September 2026 | Updated: 19:49 EDT, 8 September 2026 Britain's NEETS crisis could be far worse than first thought, with tens of thousands of young people found to be missing from official figures.In a blow to Labour's pledge to get youngsters working, as many as 42,000 16- and 17-year-olds in England are signed up to attend college but are going less than half the time, so are hidden from official figures tracking those not in employment, education or training (NEETS).This means there could now be nearly double the number of NEETS in this age bracket than first thought, according to new analysis from the Children's Commissioner's office.Unlike schools, absenteeism is not tracked by the Department for Education in further education settings.To fill this gap, Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza obtained data from 262 of England's 290 college groups giving the first accurate picture of attendance within colleges and training centres.The data revealed 28,528 16 and 17-year-olds were 'severely absent' in Spring 2026, meaning they missed half the sessions they were expected to attend.When tracked across all college groups in England, this saw an estimated 41,995 students disengaged from education yet not appearing in official NEETS figures.Commenting on the findings, former health secretary Alan Milburn, who has been tasked by Labour to review the NEETS crisis, said: 'The fact that colleges have no obligation to report attendance means tens of thousands of young people can disengage entirely without clear accountability. The Children's Commissioner has called for attendance data to be consistently captured, greater mental health support for young adults and better links between education and employment Shadow education secretary Laura Trott accused Labour on Tuesday of offering 'a lesson on what doesn't work', explaining that 'their tax hikes and red tape on businesses have made them less likely to hire young people and less able to shoulder the cost of training early careers staff up''A better system is needed to ensure that no young person can be lost in this way.'And Dame Rachel said: 'My concern is that tens of thousands of children are currently being counted as 'in education' when, in reality, they are barely attending.'We have a blind spot: hidden NEETS slipping through the cracks, young people with all the negative impacts of not being in employment, education or training but with none of the targeted interventions designed to help and support them.The Children's Commissioner has now called for attendance data to be consistently captured, greater mental health support for young adults and for and better links between education and employment.Shadow education secretary Laura Trott accused Labour on Tuesday of offering 'a lesson on what doesn't work', explaining that 'their tax hikes and red tape on businesses have made them less likely to hire young people and less able to shoulder the cost of training early careers staff up'.She added: 'We should all be alarmed by the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training, and by this latest data on 'hidden NEETS'.Reform UK's education spokesperson Suella Braverman said: 'It's clear working-class kids are being failed by a system obsessed with Mickey Mouse degrees while practical skills are treated as second-class.'Mr Milburn's final review was originally scheduled for publication this month, but has been delayed until after the Labour conference.A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Engaging young people in further education is vital to tackling the NEETS crisis. This is an important report that highlights just how badly students in further education need to be prioritised in future reforms.'It is great that the report endorses our new Level 1 qualifications in English and maths to break the endless treadmill of resits and build foundational knowledge and skills.'We're also introducing attendance monitoring and tracking in colleges and accelerating the roll out of Mental Health Support Teams in colleges. Just like with schools, we will continue to work with the further education sector to ensure that colleges and training providers proactively and effectively tackle student absenteeism.'