You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Why Scotland's Youth Need Exposure, Not Masterplans

Look at the headlines today, and you will see a bleak picture painted of our young people.

The latest ONS figures are stark. Over one million young people across the UK are now classed as NEET, meaning they are not in education, employment, or training. That is a staggering 13.5 percent of the youth population. Alan Milburn recently published his landmark youth review, and his assessment was damning. He warned that we are looking at a "whole system failure" that threatens to create a "generational fault line".

Even more concerning is the lack of early experience. Six in ten young people currently out of work have never had a single job, compared to just four in ten twenty years ago.

But there is another statistic hidden within the data, and it is the most important one of all. A resounding 84 percent of these young people explicitly state that they want a job or training.

Rejecting the "Lost Generation" Label

I completely reject the narrative that this is a "lost generation". We are not witnessing an ambition or talent deficit. The core issue is much simpler: young people cannot be what they cannot see.

These young people are the "Polycrisis Generation". They are navigating constant financial and political instability, compounded by the negative-first framing of the modern news cycle and algorithm-driven bad news that dominates online discourse. When your daily digital feed is filled with pessimism, your belief in what you can control and achieve naturally begins to shrink.

What we are dealing with is a profound deficit of confidence and optimism.

The Pre-Decision Gap

Scotland possesses excellent support systems, incubators, and accelerators, but they exist primarily to support individuals who already have a clear idea of what they want to do. They are designed for those with a fully formed business plan, those who know they want to become an entrepreneur, or those already aiming to be a business leader.

The critical gap lies with the young people who do not even know those paths are possible. We must reach these young people much earlier in their development. We need to find the ambitious individuals in the pre-decision phase who just needs exposure to the right role models and options.

The Antidote to a Lack of Belief

How do you build confidence in someone who feels locked out of the economy? The ultimate antidote to a lack of belief is exposure to relatable role models. Young people need to hear the stories and see the possibilities firsthand.

Scotland possesses a uniquely powerful asset in its global diaspora. We have thousands of successful Scots leading businesses and driving innovation all over the world. Crucially, these leaders have navigated their own periods of deep uncertainty. They know what it feels like to fail, to pivot, and to start again from scratch.

By sharing their real, raw stories of setbacks and triumphs, our global network can provide the spark needed to light up the next generation's aspirations back home.

A Call to the Next Generation

Scottish Business Network is actively working behind the scenes to address this pre-decision gap. We are determined to help fix this “whole system failure” by unlocking our global diaspora asset and putting it to work for Scotland's youth.

In order to better understand the situation, we want to hear directly with the very people experiencing this challenge today.

We want to hear from you if:

• You are a young person who wants to build a career but feels stuck, unsure of your options, or disconnected from the opportunities out there.
• You know a young person currently experiencing this exact problem.

The talent is there, and the ambition is undeniable. Reach out, and let us start a conversation about how we can build confidence and showcase what is truly possible.

I'd love to hear from you at scott@sbn.scot