Seven in ten 16–19-year-olds believe they have nothing to offer an employer, according to new IGD research, even as food and drink struggles to fill vacancies and the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) nears a million.

The study, from the IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution), suggests the UK’s youth unemployment problem is partly a confidence and communication problem.

Many young people are building valuable skills in everyday life but cannot recognise them or put them into words, and most have never considered a career in the sector that is crying out for them.

Skills they don’t know they have

The headline finding is stark: 71% of 16–19-year-olds say they do not believe they have any skills or abilities that would be useful to an employer. Three in four (76%) say they need help putting their skills into words before speaking to employers, and 73% say they have skills that are not reflected in their CV. The same proportion as the first finding, 71%, feel application forms do not let them show what they can do.

Confidence is a further hurdle. A lack of self-confidence is a significant barrier when applying for jobs for 34% of respondents, rising to 41% among young women.

Yet the research shows plenty of transferable skills already in play. A quarter (26%) create or stream content online, 25% help settle disagreements between friends, and almost a quarter look after siblings or family members (24%), play competitive video games (24%) or organise plans and events for friends and family (23%).

A sector nobody showed them

The findings land as the number of 16–24-year-olds who are NEET nears a million, and ahead of the Milburn Review, a major report into youth activity in the UK.

Food and drink employs more than 4.1 million people, over one in every eight UK workers, but labour and skills shortages persist across the food system. An average of 22,000 vacancies in the food system were advertised at any one time in 2025.

Awareness is the obstacle. Only 18% of 16–19-year-olds had considered working in the sector, with a lack of knowledge of the variety of roles available cited as the biggest barrier. But the appetite is there once the door is opened: 86% say they would be more likely to consider the industry once shown the range of roles, and 82% say they would look into it if someone showed them how their everyday skills and interests could lead to a job.

Translating gaming into gravy

To demonstrate the point, Jordan Schwarzenberger, Co-founder of Arcade, visited a youth centre and showed young people how their interests map onto roles in food and drink, such as engineering technicians, product developers, supply chain managers, food buyers or store managers.

Schwarzenberger said: “The UK’s food and drink industry needs the next generation and young people have the talent that is needed. All young people have things that they are passionate about and that translates into important skills that food and drink employers value highly – the problem is they don’t always realise that or know how to express their skills.”

He added: “I know from personal experience that working in food and drink is a really exciting thing to do. There are all sorts of entry-level roles available and there’s a real chance to progress into a long-term, rewarding career, and it’s an industry that is open to everyone, in every postcode.”

Industry joins forces

The research was released as part of IGD’s Feeding Britain’s Future movement, backed by 95 businesses, including all major retailers and leading manufacturers. The initiative aims to help young people gain experience of work, build confidence, recognise their skills and discover careers in the sector, with the goal of engaging every UK secondary school by 2030 to reduce future NEET numbers. It has also launched a quiz at feedingbritainsfuture.co.uk to help young people see how their interests connect to core skills and roles that might suit them.

Sarah Bradbury, CEO at IGD, said: “Almost a million young people are out of work and education, and what struck us in this research is how many of them think they’ve got nothing to offer an employer.”

She continued: “Food and drink is the UK’s largest private sector employer, and there are amazing jobs available across engineering, science, technology and more that most young people have never heard of. Feeding Britain’s Future is about showing them those jobs exist, giving them experiences of work and giving them the confidence that they have the skills our industry is looking for. They don’t need a certain background or education, they just need to be willing to work hard and give it a go.”

Separately, Opening Shift, a work experience programme developed by leading retailers through the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions, will see retailers offer two- to four-week placements to 18–24-year-olds who are NEET, helping them build the skills and confidence to take their first step into work.

Feeding the future 

For employers wrestling with vacancies, the research reframes the problem: the talent may exist, but the sector’s pitch and recruitment process are not surfacing it. If 86% of young people respond to simply seeing the range of roles, and most feel application forms hide what they can do, the lever may be how roles are communicated and how candidates are assessed, not only how many are advertised.

The scale of Feeding Britain’s Future, spanning retailers and manufacturers, suggests the industry is treating this as a collective workforce challenge. The test will be whether school engagement and work experience translate into entry-level hires.