Avoiding a Lost Generation: Preparing Young People for Work, Life and an AI Future
One in six young people could be out of work or training within just five years. That stark warning, alongside growing concerns that “exam‑obsessed” schools are leaving pupils unready for real life, paints a worrying picture of how our current system is failing to prepare teenagers for adulthood in a rapidly changing world.
A system “no longer fit for purpose”
Former minister Alan Milburn, who led a major investigation into young people and work, has warned that our education, health and welfare systems are “no longer fit for purpose” when it comes to preparing young people for adult life. He cautions that we are “at risk of a lost generation”, with the number of 16 to 24 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) projected to rise to around 1.25 million by 2031.
Milburn highlights that the “first rung of the career ladder has thinned,” leaving too many young people in a hopeless catch‑22. Employers are asking for work experience, yet the opportunities to gain that experience have narrowed or disappeared, making it harder than ever for teenagers to get started.
Young People and Work: what the report reveals
The interim report Young People and Work, published by the Department for Work and Pensions, sets out deep structural problems running across education, health, employment and support services. It shows that this is not simply about individual motivation or effort; it is about systems that fail to connect at the points young people need them most.
For years, there have been visible signs of strain in education: rising absence figures, unmet special educational needs, escalating anxiety and growing disengagement from school. Many young people are physically present in classrooms but not meaningfully accessing the education on offer. The report makes clear that qualifications alone are not enough; young people are leaving compulsory education with exam results but without the skills, confidence and support to move into work and training.
The skills young people really need
The report emphasises that teenagers now need a set of capabilities that go far beyond traditional exams. These include effective communication, self‑advocacy, organisation, understanding workplace expectations, and navigating professional relationships. These are the building blocks of employability, yet they are often sidelined in favour of test performance and league table metrics.
There is a systemic failure to create the opportunities, conditions and support structures that allow young people to participate meaningfully in education, employment and society. When schools are driven primarily by exam outcomes, there is little space left for the kind of experiential, relational and applied learning that builds genuine readiness for adult life.
“Exam obsessed” schools and a narrow model of success
Alan Milburn has pointed to “exam obsessed” schools as a key part of the problem. The mainstream model is highly effective at getting many pupils through exams with grades that look impressive on a CV. But the so‑called “soft skills” – social skills, emotional intelligence, teamwork, adaptability and even basic financial literacy – are not consistently built into the system.
The result is a narrow version of success. Pupils may leave school with strong grades but without the confidence to speak up in a meeting, manage their time, handle feedback, or understand how to navigate the realities of a modern workplace. In an economy shaped by rapid technological change and growing use of AI, this gap becomes even more damaging.
Rethinking what education is for
Founder Advisor Cody Jefferson captures the scale of the challenge by looking back to how schooling was originally designed. For around 150 years, schools trained children to become reliable workers for an industrial economy: show up on time, follow instructions, memorise information, complete tasks. That system produced excellent employees for factory‑style work and stable office roles.
But the future economy will reward something very different. The most valuable people in the next era will not just be employees; they will be problem framers – people who can spot patterns others miss, ask better questions, design new solutions and build systems, rather than simply follow them. AI can now generate answers at scale. Humans must decide which problems actually matter, how to define them and what solutions are ethical, sustainable and worthwhile.
If knowledge is becoming a commodity, then endlessly adding more memorisation, more standardised testing and more compliance is not the answer. Instead, children need to learn how to think, not just what to think.
Teaching children how to think, build and lead
Jefferson argues that we must deliberately teach human capabilities machines cannot replace. That means:
- Teaching logic, critical reasoning and even philosophy, so young people can analyse information, challenge assumptions and think independently.
- Encouraging curiosity, experimentation and even failure, so students learn how to iterate, adapt and build resilience.
- Showing children how to build: businesses, ideas, communities, technology – shifting the focus from simply completing assignments to creating real value.
- Developing leadership: communicating vision, navigating conflict, building trust and creating alignment. Emotional intelligence will be one of the most powerful assets in a world where AI manages many systems.
- Helping young people find meaning through purpose, responsibility and service, so they see their work and learning as part of something bigger than themselves.
The goal, as Jefferson sets out, should not be to raise children just to pass tests, but to raise humans who can lead themselves and help build the future: curious minds, strong character, independent thinkers.
How Rosmini Hybrid Education Hub is responding
Rosmini Hybrid Education Hub has been established as a direct response to this archaic model of education. Rather than accepting that school’s only job is to deliver exam results, Rosmini is committed to bridging the gap between school and apprenticeships or employment by focusing on the capabilities young people actually need.
At Rosmini, the mission is to encourage problem framers: pupils who can see patterns other people miss, who ask better questions, who design new solutions and build systems instead of merely following them. The curriculum and learning environment are shaped to help students learn how to think both independently and as part of a team, drawing on logic, critical reasoning and reflective discussion.
Students are supported to:
- Explore how to build businesses, technology and communities, not just answer questions on a test paper.
- Learn to create value in the real world, be curious, trial new methods and strategies, and treat failure as a normal – and useful – step towards success.
- Develop leadership skills so they can communicate their visions clearly, collaborate effectively and navigate conflict with maturity.
Preparing young people for a different future
Rosmini Hybrid Education Hub exists because the world our young people are growing into is not the one our current system was designed for. By blending academic learning with real‑world skills, problem‑framing, creativity and emotional intelligence, Rosmini seeks to prepare students not only to move into work, apprenticeships or further study, but to shape the future they are stepping into.
The stakes could not be higher. With warnings of a potential “lost generation” and rising numbers of young people facing an uncertain future, changing how we educate is no longer a nice‑to‑have; it is urgent. Rosmini’s approach is one example of what that change can look like in practice: a learning community that still values qualifications, but refuses to stop there – because our children deserve to be prepared for life, not just for exams.
