By Mohammed, GoodWork Programme Participant

I recently had the privilege of participating in the Milburn Review, which unexpectedly led to me being interviewed on both Channel 4 News and BBC Radio 4. I never imagined featuring on one major news outlet, let alone two. But more than that, I never imagined myself having the gall to put myself on a public platform to talk about what has often felt like my biggest insecurity: being NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).

Over the past few months, we've been closely involved with the Milburn Review into Young People and Work, the Government-commissioned investigation into the UK's youth unemployment crisis.

From hosting a focus group and roundtable at our Community Hub, to sharing young people's stories alongside Alan Milburn on the BBC, and submitting formal evidence to the review, we've worked to make sure the voices of the young people we support are heard at every stage. Here's a look at what we've been part of.

On Social Mobility Day, we brought together young people, employers and experts at our London HQ for a breakfast panel asking how employers can drive better outcomes for the next generation.

With nearly one in four young Londoners currently unemployed - the highest level in the country - our panel unpicked a challenge that has become impossible to ignore.

We're delighted to be welcoming two new appointments to the GoodWork Board: Deirdra Moynihan as Chair, and Xun Ning Choong as Trustee.

Siham graduated from Cohort 4 of the GoodWork Programme. She secured an internship at Wild, one of our corporate partners, and has since been promoted to a Supply Chain Executive role. Siham is one of five young people from the GoodWork community who’ve been hired by Wild.

Welcome to our first quarterly update, bringing you highlights, behind-the-scenes and all the latest on our work with young people and employers to create a fairer future of work.

Our Founder and CEO Felicity Halstead recently featured in the Guardian, discussing the challenges young people face in today’s job market and whether higher education really delivers on social mobility.

We’re thrilled to share that GoodWork has been chosen as one of the Big Issue’s Changemakers for 2026, recognising the work we’ve done to help underserved young people start their careers.

We’re thrilled to share GoodWork's 2025 Impact Report: Building Community.

‘Building Community’ refers to how our growing impact has been driven by the power of community - through our young people, alumni, volunteers, partners and all those who champion our work.

In October 2025, we hosted our Youth x Employer Engagement Forum with the Social Mobility Leaders' Forum, and our report is now live.

The report uncovers flaws in recruitment processes, the unintended consequences of AI, and how financial barriers are still locking talented young people out of opportunities.

What a year it’s been! Here are some highlights from an amazing 2025 at GoodWork. We’re so excited to make an even BIGGER impact in 2026 - expanding our mentoring and employability programmes for young people and working with employers to champion social mobility.

We partnered with the Social Mobility Leaders’ Forum (SMLF) to do something different - bring together young people and employers as equal partners to imagine a fairer world of work.