Young people are asking for careers support that starts earlier, feels more human, and connects properly to real opportunities where they live. This week, they said it directly to the Prime Minister.
The Careers and Enterprise Company shared an open letter from their Youth Advisory Group on NEET prevention. It is honest, practical, and rooted in lived experience.
Read it for yourself
Open letter from the Youth Advisory Group to the Prime Minister
The message is clear. Young people need support earlier, they need local partnerships that actually work, and they need access to real opportunities that build confidence before disengagement becomes entrenched.
At inyourroots®, we're building for exactly that. We exist because too many young people are being filtered out by systems that rely on CVs, grades, and confidence. That does not measure potential, it often measures who has had the easiest run at it.
The message is clear, and we're acting on it
The open letter lands on a few truths that feel hard to ignore. Young people are asking for careers support that starts earlier, feels more human, and connects properly to real opportunities in their local area.
They are also clear that one-off interventions are not enough.
What makes the difference is consistent support, practical experiences, and employers who are willing to open the door before confidence disappears and disengagement becomes the norm.
That is exactly the gap inyourroots® is here to close.
What we're building
We're building a strengths-first career discovery and job-matching ecosystem for 16–25-year-olds and local SMEs across Essex, Hertfordshire, and Suffolk.
Our AI career companion, Budi, guides young people through a supportive journey that helps them:
- Understand how they work best, and what they're naturally good at
- Build practical skills in a way that feels doable, not daunting
- Explore roles and sectors without needing a polished CV
- Connect to local employers who are open to potential, not just polish
What we're validating right now
Right now, our focus is proof of concept. That means we're actively validating a few simple things:
The questions we're answering
- Does the journey feel clear, supportive, and easy to complete?
- Do young people feel more confident about their next step afterwards?
- Are the role and sector suggestions useful and understandable?
- Do employers find the strengths and skills view more helpful than a CV-first approach?
Calling out for beta testers and local employers
If we want to prevent young people becoming NEET, we need more than advice. We need real chances, offered by employers who are willing to meet young people where they are and help them grow roots.
As we move into launch, we're calling out for:
- Beta testers aged 16–25 who want to try Budi early and tell us what works, what is missing, and what would make this feel easier to use
- Local employers (SMEs) who want to offer entry-level roles, apprenticeships, work experience, insight sessions, or micro-mentoring
- Educators and youth organisations who want to pilot the journey with young people and feed back what helps, and what does not
You do not need a perfect programme. You just need to care, show up, and be open to doing things a bit differently.
If you want to be part of the change
Young people are asking for a system that is built with them, not around them. We are building that system locally, one opportunity at a time.
Start here
Employers, educators, and youth organisations: get in touch and we will find a way to work together.
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