{
  "id": 15722098,
  "title": "James Dyson is right, technical universies are the solution to the NEETs crisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/james-dyson-is-right-technical-universies-are-the-solution-to-the",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-20T08:51:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/james-dyson-is-right-technical-universies-are-the-solution-to-the-neets-crisis/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "James Dyson's perspective is gaining traction, suggesting technical universities are the key to addressing the NEETs crisis in England. Over a million young individuals are currently neither in education, employment, nor training (NEET), while more than 250,000 job openings remain unfilled due to a shortage of skilled workers. The competition for graduate positions has become historically intense, with employers receiving an average of 140 applications per vacancy, up from 86 in 2022/23. Despite England boasting more universities than ever before, there is a growing demand for technical skills. A recent Policy Exchange report, endorsed by Sir James Dyson and Lord Blunkett, proposes a new wave of technical universities as the solution. Political consensus is emerging that the existing higher education system is not effectively meeting the needs of employers. The proportion of people believing a degree is not worth the investment has doubled from 14% in 2005 to 34% in 2025. Nearly a third (27%) of all vacancies are now skill-shortage positions, particularly in sectors like construction (45%) and manufacturing (34%). Interestingly, England has the highest proportion of over-qualified workers in the OECD's adult skills survey, at 37%. The current system, with its focus on traditional three-year bachelor's degrees, has incentivized cheaper, classroom-based subjects, neglecting lab-based courses. This imbalance is evident in the number of first-degree graduates in engineering, manufacturing, and construction, which is just 8.9% of total graduates, compared to 33% in China and 25% in Germany. The UK STEM graduates earn 18% more than the average wage, nearly double Germany's 10%. Hereford serves as a model for this approach. The New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) has designed its curriculum with over 80 employers, including BAE Systems and Balfour Beatty. Students experience a nine-to-five workday, working on tasks directly set by these employers. NMITE's degrees are expedited, allowing students to complete a master's in three years instead of four, saving £12,060 in debt and entering the workforce a year earlier. Many graduates have already secured competitive engineering roles with an average starting salary of £35,000. Policy Exchange has identified 57 English towns with no university of their own, home to 5.5 million people, suggesting these NMITE-type institutions could be strategically located in the North. The policy recommends easing regulations, providing a £50m Seed Development Fund, empowering mayors to establish institutions in partnership with private entities, and streamlining the registration process for these institutions. By diversifying degree-level provision, NMITE-type universities could become the foundation for technical skills development, aiding the re-industrialization of Britain.",
  "summary": "Technical universities in partnership with employers like Dyson can help up-skill the population, re-industrialise the nation and solve the NEETSs crisis. And Hereford is already showing the way forward, says Byron Evans A million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Over 250,000 vacancies sit unfilled because the skilled workers needed are [...]",
  "key_points": [
    "Over a million young people in England are NEET, lacking education, employment, or training.",
    "More than 250,000 job openings remain unfilled due to a shortage of skilled workers."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Prioritizing technical universities over traditional academic degrees offers a way to bridge the widening gap between the growing number of unskilled young people and the urgent needs of industrial employers.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}