Remember when your careers advisor told you to “work hard, get your qualifications, and the world will be your oyster”? Yeah. About that.
Across the UK, young people are doing all the “right” things — studying, graduating, polishing CVs like they’re going to the Olympics — and still ending up with… nothing. Nada. Not even a sniff of a warehouse shift.
A recent report by the BBC, featured Faisa Ali Tarabi, 24. She’s got a degree in Accounting and Finance and a Master’s in Management. Basically, she’s got more letters after her name than most people have in their inbox. And yet? She’s applied for 2,000 jobs — including Aldi warehouse roles — and has heard mostly crickets. Or worse, emails that start with, “You did really well, but…”
And she’s not alone. Social media is packed with comments from young people screaming into the void:
“I finished uni and still can’t get hired — even to clean toilets.”
Now, let’s be clear — young people want to work. They’re not lazy or fussy or spending their days napping under avocado trees. But the job market? It’s tougher than a budget Ryanair seat. Job vacancies have hit a four-year low, employer costs are up, and even supermarkets are scaling back.
At YMCA Leicestershire, we work with young people who are up against more than just tough competition. Many are navigating homelessness, mental health challenges, trauma, or neurodiversity. They’re not just job-hunting — they’re fighting to rebuild their lives.
And when even entry-level jobs start playing hard to get, the path to independence feels like climbing Everest in flip-flops.
In the report from the BBC, they talk about a young person called Niall, 22, from Liverpool. A few years ago, he was spiralling — drugs, bad choices, and zero direction. But a local youth centre helped him turn things around. Now he wants to be the kind of mentor he once needed. He’s proof that people can change. But also proof that they need the right support at the right time. And we see young people coming through our doors that have been in exactly that same position.
That’s what we aim to do at YMCA Leicestershire — be that support. We’re ramping up mental health services, skills training, and links with local employers. Because resilience is great, but it shouldn’t be the only thing keeping someone afloat.
Here’s the scary bit: almost 1 in 5 young people who aren’t in work or education have a mental health condition. Half say unemployment makes them feel hopeless. Hopeless. That’s not a word to throw around lightly.
The government has plans — a Youth Guarantee, job centre revamps, mental health expansions — and that’s good news. But the reality is this: policies alone won’t change lives. People will.
We need community. We need connection. We need to meet young people where they are, not where we wish they were.
So let’s be real: this isn’t just about getting a job. For many of the young people we support, it’s about dignity. It’s about feeling seen. It’s about hope.
And that? That’s worth fighting for.
Could you help our residents get into the world work? Drop us a message at [email protected]
