Cambridge and Peterborough partners with EDT to strengthen pathways into employment

On the Vocational Progressions Project, which is led by the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, we will engage with 15 schools in the region that have higher levels of pupils at risk of becoming NEET. Through group sessions, interview preparation, assessment centre practice, and follow‑up guidance, we will equip students in Years 12 and 13 with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to successfully secure apprenticeships.

Alongside our work in schools, we will also provide accessible online support to NEET young people referred through the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer. This will include personalised CV development, help with apprenticeship applications and interviews, and follow-up support for those not successful at their first attempt.

This innovative programme is part of the UK government’s wider Youth Guarantee. The Youth Guarantee aims to ensure every young person in the country can access education, employment, or training, with apprenticeships recognised as a key pathway into sustainable work. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is one of the eight regions across England selected as Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, which will test out new approaches to preventing young people from becoming NEET.

The learner groups we will support on the programme reflect a growing recognition that NEET prevention requires more than securing an initial destination. They include young people not intending to progress to higher education, as well as those who are intending to progress but are considered at risk of poor outcomes. This is because young people may appear to have positive destinations, but may subsequently move into short‑lived or poor‑quality employment, which later leads to them becoming NEET.

We will therefore focus on ensuring that young people’s pathways are sustainable and lead to long-term employment, particularly through apprenticeships. We will also monitor and support learners after Year 13, capturing their intended and actual destinations and providing sustained help for those who become NEET.

No young person should be left to navigate their future without the support, information, and opportunities needed to succeed. By strengthening the apprenticeship pipeline and providing support before, during and after key transition points, the Vocational Progressions Project will play an important role in improving long-term outcomes for young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.