Changing Communication Landscapes
In a world where much of young people’s communication now happens through screens, opportunities for face-to-face interactions matter more. Creating safe, supported spaces to talk, listen, collaborate and navigate everyday social situations gives young people opportunities to practise these skills in person.
The Social School is not “anti-technology”: it helps young people strengthen the in-person confidence, relationships and communication skills that complement their digital lives and support the transition into work.
Work is about more than earning a wage. Good work can provide purpose, connection, opportunities to learn and a route towards greater independence. Yet getting that first opportunity is not equally easy. Nearly one million UK young people aged 16–24 are currently outside education, employment and training, even though most surveyed young people in this position say they want to work, learn or train. Employers value experience, communication, teamwork and self-management — skills that young people need fair opportunities to develop, practise and demonstrate.
Evidence context: Ofcom, Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report (2024); National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Social Media and Adolescent Health (2024).
What the Research Says
Number of young people not in work
981,000 young people aged 16–24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in April–June 2026 — 13% of the age group.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK, August 2026.
Human Skills shortage for employers
69% of skill-shortage vacancies were attributed at least partly to applicants lacking “people and personal skills”.
Source: Department for Education, Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Human skills are becoming essential workplace skills
UK research by NFER identifies communication, collaboration, creative thinking and problem-solving among six essential skills that will become increasingly important as technology transforms the workplace. This is reinforced by recent findings from the Financial Times, which reported that major consulting firms are encouraging junior employees to spend more time working alongside colleagues because human skills such as communication, relationship-building, teamwork and professional judgement are becoming more valuable as AI takes on routine technical tasks.
Sources: NFER, Skills Imperative 2035 (2025); Junior consultants called back to office as AI increases need for human skills, Financial Times, August 2026.
AI will change jobs — making adaptability and human contribution vital
The International Labour Organisation estimates that one in four workers worldwide is in an occupation with some exposure to generative AI. However, its research concludes that most jobs are more likely to be transformed than replaced because human input will continue to be needed.
Source: International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A 2025 Update.
AI is making creativity more important — not less
A major 2026 study analysing more than 182 million UK job adverts found that demand for AI skills and creativity is increasingly appearing together. Since the arrival of ChatGPT, the relationship between demand for AI skills and creativity has become significantly stronger.
This challenges the idea that young people simply need to become “good at AI”. Their ability to think independently, create, communicate and bring something human to technology matters too.
Source: Wang, Baksy, Bakhshi & Siepel, Regional Studies, 2026.