If we had the same NEET rate as the Netherlands (around 4.9 per cent rather than 15.1 per cent) we’d have around 650,000 more young people in purposeful education and training or in work. So, what can we learn from our neighbours? That’s what I wanted to find out when I joined Alan Milburn and curious stakeholders (including Gareth Southgate) on a trip there in September. We saw plenty we need to learn from in a system with more investment, underpinned by a culture of true acceptance. In the Netherlands, there is a belief that every young person deserves the very best start in life, and to achieve that, investment needs to be available up to age 25. Investment isn’t simply about more money (although there is more of that), but a commitment from employers, politicians, educators and people who, more widely, see it as their responsibility to ensure young people have the best possible start to adult life. There’s a moral and social responsibility that immediately makes it easier and better for young people. We spoke to employers who see it as their job to make the transition into work as smooth as possible, recognising that nobody is truly ‘job-ready’ when they start work. There is an acceptance that, for perhaps most people in their first job, there will be wrong decisions and challenges. That acceptance is then translated into a supportive learning environment in which the things that go wrong can be put right, with safety nets and opportunities to get back on track. The culture that underpins this is one I’d love to see us cultivate here in the UK. It’s best encapsulated by that lovely phrase: ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. The culture we saw recognised that young people are growing up in a complex world which is more difficult to navigate than ever before. And because of that, we need to accept that not every decision made at 16, 18 or 20 will be optimal. There’s a belief that when a chosen pathway doesn’t work out, that’s ok, because young people need to be fully rounded, confident and resilient. They need strong self-esteem as well as the skills to learn and adapt. This leads to people who, by their mid-twenties, are happy and settled in work. Building societal investment, underpinned by an acceptance culture, is not something that can happen immediately. And while I do wholeheartedly believe we need those radical shifts to truly deliver for young people, there are also three tangible lessons that I am hoping Milburn’s final report will focus on. Breadth of curriculum The first is a far greater breadth of curriculum and experience, as well as the time offered to young people to grow, mature and learn before they enter the labour market. It was exposed beautifully by our visit to a hospitality and catering college in The Hague. There we met articulate, professional and skilful young people who could explain, in English, their learning and development, and their aspirations and expectations for their future careers – not unlike the young people I could happily introduce you to in an English college. However, there was a fundamental difference once you dug down a little. In England, our offer to young people is severely constrained by the lower overall investment the state makes. Our students have about 16 hours of teaching contact time per week, over two years. In the Netherlands, they have double the number of teaching hours and double the years in which to develop. That extra time allows for a richer and broader education alongside the critical occupational competency skills – a foreign language, enterprise, business, management, citizenship, politics and a humanities or arts subject. On top of that is a properly funded enrichment offer and two 20-week industry paid internships, ensuring that Dutch students grow up with a far broader education and experience which our UK students sadly miss out on. A collective responsibility Dutch employers see themselves as partners to education, with a responsibility to be part of the ‘village’ needed to help young people grow. They have agency in being able to influence the curriculum and the learning experience in education and they contribute time and work experience opportunities too. That partnership, alongside the time young people are afforded, ultimately means that employers can expect more from young people in their first jobs. They have more rounded skillsets, confidence and experience because of the investment society makes in them. Local objectives The third big lesson is that in every area there is a system of local collaboration, founded on shared ambitions, objectives and targets, making for joined-up services and support. Behind that is shared data tracking and follow-up services which means nobody is lost to the system. We need the same in the UK. Aligned and joined-up services can keep track of young people and intervene immediately when someone is at risk of dropping out. In England, the radical approach being taken by the new prime minister to “rewire” the state and empower local areas should be ideal to develop these local systems. Elected mayors will increasingly have the tools to convene employers and public and third sector organisations to work together. New powers for mayors and aligned accountability measures for schools, colleges, employment services and health could bind together the key players and ensure that services and support are designed around the individual. These could then also be agile to ensure young people are on track and can cope with the inevitable crises, re-starts and resets that some young people need before they can fly. The spotlight that Milburn has shone on the NEET challenge has already galvanised actions we should really have had in place for decades, and I’m confident that his final report will set out a bigger agenda across health, employment and welfare. For the review to be truly impactful, we need a commitment to those three things: investment in the time our young people have to learn, a willingness from employers to become partners in this mission, and stronger local systems, with aligned targets and accountabilities for agencies and organisations.