For school and college leaders, Careers Leaders, SENCOs and pastoral teams, the Milburn Report on Young People and Work arrives at an already busy point in the year. But its message is too important to miss: too many young people are being left without a clear, supported route from education into work, training, independence and adulthood.
That matters for every school and college. It matters even more for learners whose pathways are more likely to be disrupted, including young people with SEND, SEMH needs, poor attendance, low confidence, caring responsibilities, health barriers or limited access to employer networks.
Our short summary helps schools and colleges understand the key findings and reflect on what they mean for inclusive careers education.
The UK is not facing a small youth employment issue. It is facing a deeper challenge in how young people move from education into adult life. Too often, support arrives after disengagement has already happened. Risk is identified early, but not always followed through. Services do not always join up. And after 18, many young people face a cliff edge where tracking, support and accountability become much weaker.
For schools and colleges, the message is not that they should solve this alone but that their role in the pathway matters. Schools and colleges are among the few parts of the system that see learners early enough, know them well enough, and can begin building confidence, skills and aspirations before young people reach a point of crisis.
Careers education as prevention, not just compliance
One of the strongest implications of the report is that careers education should be seen as part of prevention.
Careers provision is often discussed through the lens of Gatsby Benchmarks, statutory duties, Ofsted expectations or destination data. These all matter. But for learners at risk of becoming disengaged, careers education also has a more fundamental purpose.
It can help young people:
- understand their strengths
- explore realistic routes
- practise workplace skills
- experience employers in accessible ways
- build confidence through gradual steps
- connect learning to future possibilities
- see adulthood as something they can move towards
For some learners, that visibility is critical. A future that feels vague, unreachable or designed for “other people” can make disengagement more likely. A future that feels practical, supported and personalised can help make participation feel possible.
Aspiration is not the problem
A key theme from the report is that many young people do want to work, learn or train. The challenge is whether the route feels possible.
For learners with additional needs, low confidence or disrupted experiences of education, aspiration alone is not enough. They may need more preparation, more repetition, more accessible experiences, more family involvement and more structured support to connect their strengths to real-world pathways.
This reflects a core Talentino principle: learners need the same expectation of ambition and opportunity, but sometimes a different route to get there. That means inclusive careers education should not lower expectations. It should make expectations meaningful, accessible and achievable.
The missed opportunity around transition planning
Earlier intervention, especially for learners already known to services, is particularly relevant for schools and colleges working with learners with SEND. Year 9 EHCP reviews already include Preparation for Adulthood themes, including employment, independent living and participation.
But too often, careers education, EHCP planning, learner voice, family conversations, vocational profiling, employer encounters and destination planning can sit in separate boxes.
A stronger approach would ask:
- What does this learner enjoy?
- What are they good at?
- What environments help them thrive?
- What support do they need to participate?
- What experiences would help them build confidence?
- What routes are realistic and meaningful?
- What does the family understand about future options?
- What evidence are we building before the next transition?
When this work is joined up, transition planning becomes more than a statutory process. It becomes a practical pathway.
The post-18 cliff edge
Before 18, there is more structure around participation. After 18, support can become less visible and less consistent. This matters because risk does not disappear when a young person leaves education. In many cases, this is exactly when risk increases.
For Careers Leaders and SENCOs, this strengthens the case for starting earlier and building more durable readiness before the point of exit.
That does not mean schools and colleges can control what happens next. But they can help learners leave with stronger foundations: clearer aspirations, better self-understanding, more workplace awareness, stronger independence skills, evidence of what works for them, and a more realistic sense of the routes available.
Employer engagement needs to be accessible
The report also reinforces the importance of employer voice and employer access.
For many learners, especially those with SEND or additional needs, employer encounters are not just about information. They are about confidence, familiarity and reducing fear of the unknown.
But employer engagement must be designed inclusively. A one-off encounter may not be enough for a learner who needs preparation, visual structure, supported reflection or gradual exposure to new environments.
Schools and colleges should consider how employer engagement can become more meaningful by asking:
- Have learners been prepared before the encounter?
- Is the experience accessible?
- Can learners ask questions in a way that works for them?
- Are employers supported to understand different needs?
- Is there time afterwards for reflection?
- Does the encounter connect to curriculum learning, vocational profiling or destination planning?
Good employer engagement should help learners build a bridge between school and the wider world, not simply tick an activity box.
What schools and colleges can start doing or keep building
The report is a reminder that destinations cannot be treated as an afterthought. For schools and colleges, five priorities stand out.
1. Treat careers as prevention
Careers education is not only about compliance. It is part of helping learners stay connected to a future that feels possible.
2. Start earlier with learners most at risk
The warning signs are often visible long before transition. Early careers conversations, vocational profiling and employer exposure can help build confidence before decisions become urgent.
3. Apply “same and different” in practice
Learners with SEND and additional needs should have the same expectation of ambition and opportunity as their peers, with the right differentiation and support to make participation realistic.
4. Connect transition planning into one pathway
EHCP reviews, Preparation for Adulthood, learner voice, family conversations, curriculum learning, employer encounters and destination planning should work together, not separately.
5. Make destinations visible before the cliff edge
Learners need to understand not only what their next step is, but what support, skills and confidence will help them sustain it.
A question for schools and colleges
The report raises a strategic question for every school and college: Are we simply delivering careers activity, or are we helping every learner build a visible and supported route into adulthood?
For learners at risk of being lost, that distinction matters. Inclusive careers education cannot solve the whole youth participation crisis on its own. But it can strengthen one of the most important parts of the pathway: the point where young people are still known, still connected, and still able to build confidence in what comes next.
That is where prevention starts.
