Examining the critical relationship between Welfare, NEETs and Social Mobility

The over one million young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) have made headlines this year.  

A lack of adequate attention and decades of policy churn has allowed a whole generation of young people to find themselves labelled ‘NEET’. But who finds themselves with this label? Where someone grows up, their gender, socio-economic background and health are all playing a part in these stark stats. 

The Social Mobility Symposium will bring together policymakers, cross-party voices and experts to explore the landscape of the UK’s welfare system and its direct impact on NEETs and social mobility. 

Attendees will hear from a range of experts discussing welfare policies, pathways for NEETs, place-based approaches, and the intersections of mental health, disabilities, and welfare. After the day concludes attendees are invited to attend a networking event also hosted at the Royal Society of Arts. 

Keynote speakers

	Angela Rayner MP –  Former Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
	Helen Whately MP – Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions
	Lord Blunkett, Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Education and Home Office

Expert panels

Pathways for NEETs

• Alun Francis – Chair, Social Mobility Commission
• Nick Bent – CEO, upReach
• Charlotte McGrath – CEO, Movement to Work
• Sharon Blyfield – Head of Early Careers, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB
• Craig Beaumont – Executive Director, Federation of Small Businesses
• Lauren Domfe – Founder of Bear the Brunt

Place-based approaches

• Rob Wilson – Deputy Chair, Social Mobility Commission
• Baroness Stedman-Scott – Former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions
• Councillor Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council
• Anna Dawe – Principal & CEO, Wigan & Leigh College
• Sarah Yong – Interim Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Youth Futures Foundation
• Paul O’Neill – Development Director, Steve Morgan Foundation

Welfare policies and how these currently influence NEETs

• Resham Kotecha – Deputy Chair, Social Mobility Commission
• Ryan Wain – Executive Director of Politics, Tony Blair Institute
• Dr Annie Irvine – Qualitative social researcher and Lecturer in Social Policy, University of York
• Robert Halfon – Executive Director, Make UK and Former Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships & HE
• Laura-Jane Rawlings – CEO, Youth Employment UK
• Peter Swallow MP – Chair of the APPG on Social Mobility

The link between physical and mental health and the welfare state

• Tina Stowell – Commissioner, Social Mobility Commission
• Naomi Clayton – CEO, Institute for Employment Studies
• Laura Savage – Partner Services and Social Value Solutions Director, People Plus
• Joanna Hofman – Director of Research and Evaluation, IPSOS
• Sophia Kleanthous – Senior Campaigns and Public Affairs Officer, Transport for all
• Fraser Nelson – Political journalist and former editor of the Spectator Magazine

For any questions, please contact the Social Mobility Commission team on: symposium@socialmobilitycommission.gov.uk

Full agenda

• 09.00 – 09:45 – Arrival and registration
• 09:45 – 11:00 – Welcome address and opening speakers
• 11.00 – 11:30 – Break
• 11:30-  12:45 – Panel Sessions
• 12:45 – 14.00 – Lunch
• 14.00 – 15.15 – Panel Sessions
• 15:15 – 15:45 – Break
• 15:45 – 16:45 – Closing Keynote, Q&A and remarks
• 16:45 – 18:30 – Networking Event in the RSA Bar