Three-Quarters of Disadvantaged Pupils Fear Their Future — Here’s Why Youth Opportunity Must Change
Posted on:
New research has uncovered a deeply concerning trend in England’s education landscape:
three-quarters of disadvantaged pupils fear their chances of getting into university, securing an apprenticeship, or finding a job after school.
In a society where young people should feel excited about their future, many instead feel anxious, unprepared, and unsupported. These findings are based on polling of 1,000 secondary school students aged 11–18 — commissioned by education charity Teach First — and they highlight the widening gap in youth opportunity, skills development, and post-school prospects.
At Genuine Futures, we see these challenges every day.
Young people in disadvantaged communities are not short of ability — they are short of access.
A Future That Feels Out of Reach for Many Young People
The research highlights what we already know: disadvantaged pupils have far fewer opportunities to explore employment pathways, university routes, or apprenticeships compared to their wealthier peers.
Key barriers include:
- Limited access to high-quality work experience
- Fewer encounters with employers, careers advisers, and role models
- Lower exposure to apprenticeship and skill-based career routes
- Reduced confidence due to systemic disadvantage
- Schools stretched too thin to provide personalised guidance
- Lack of mentors who can help shape realistic future plans
Meanwhile, pupils in more affluent areas typically benefit from networks, stability, family connections, and broader exposure to career opportunities.
The message from disadvantaged pupils is clear:
The pathway to apprenticeships, university places, and youth employment is not equal.
The Emotional Weight Young People Carry
These worries aren’t abstract — they are deeply personal.
Behind every statistic is a young person wondering:
- “Will I ever get a job?”
- “What am I going to do after school?”
- “I don’t know anyone who can help me.”
We meet young people who are talented, creative, resilient — yet convinced that their future will be limited simply because of where they live or the challenges they’ve faced.
This mindset does not come from lack of ambition.
It comes from:
- Hearing “no” more often than “yes”
- Living in communities with high unemployment
- Lacking visible role models who reflect their experiences
- Being excluded or overlooked
- A support system that feels inaccessible
When 75% of disadvantaged pupils are already worried before they’ve even left school, it’s clear more needs to be done to support their skills development, future confidence, and career readiness.
Why Employers, Educators & Communities Must Step Up
The research is a wake-up call.
If young people don’t see opportunity, we must bring opportunity to them.
This means:
- More employer engagement
- More work placements
- More apprenticeships and skills routes
- More mentoring and coaching
- More youth-led enterprise initiatives
- More community investment in NEET prevention
- More lived-experience leadership
At Genuine Futures, these are the pillars of our work.
We’ve built a youth ecosystem where young people can gain real-world experience, develop practical skills, build confidence, and explore enterprise pathways — regardless of background.
Where Genuine Futures Makes a Difference
Our mission is clear:
Create real pathways into education, employment, enterprise, and life skills for young people aged 12–24.
We do this through:
- The Youth Futures Hub — a safe, supportive space that feels like home
- We Shine Any Car — a youth-led enterprise offering hands-on work experience, teamwork, customer service skills, confidence-building, and routines that prepare young people for employment
- The Boss Your Future programme — supporting NEET young people into training, apprenticeships, and work
- Access to mentors and lived-experience leaders
- Opportunities to learn practical skills, build resilience, and experience success
- Digital, creative, hands-on, and enterprise pathways
- Community involvement and volunteering opportunities
These are the opportunities disadvantaged pupils say they don’t have — and that’s exactly why we exist.
Young People Deserve Fairness — Not Favouritism
Young people are not failing — they are being failed by a system that does not offer equal access to careers, opportunities, or employment pathways.
This is not about lowering expectations.
It’s about raising access.
A fair future is one where every young person — regardless of postcode or background — can:
- Get meaningful work experience
- Build skills
- Explore apprenticeships
- Access mentors
- Gain confidence
- See a route forward
This is what Genuine Futures is fighting for.
It’s Time to Change This Story — Together
If three-quarters of disadvantaged pupils are anxious about their future, then we must act.
And we are acting.
But we cannot do it alone.
Here’s how you can help create opportunities for young people:
Partner with Genuine Futures to support youth employment and skills
Offer work experience placements or apprenticeships
Volunteer your time or industry knowledge
Sponsor a session or programme
Visit our Youth Futures Hub to see the work in action
Come to We Shine Any Car – open every Monday & Thursday, 10am–4pm
Support youth-led enterprise
Champion real opportunity for disadvantaged young people
Because the difference between a young person giving up and a young person thriving…is often just one opportunity.
Let’s make sure they all get one.
Let’s build futures that shine.