Heathrow establishes council to link infrastructure investment with youth employment

Heathrow has established a new Infrastructure Skills Council to examine how major infrastructure projects can create employment and training opportunities for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

image: Heathrow

The council will be co-chaired by former education secretary Lord David Blunkett and former skills and apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon. It brings together representatives from employers, trade unions, colleges and training organisations to consider how large infrastructure programmes can provide routes into skilled employment.

The initiative comes as the number of young people outside education, employment or training remains close to one million. Office for National Statistics figures show that an estimated 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were NEET in the UK between April and June 2026, equivalent to 13% of the age group. The figure is 30,000 higher than a year earlier.

The council will consider how infrastructure projects can increase access to apprenticeships, technical training and entry-level employment, with its work initially focused on Heathrow expansion but intended to have wider relevance to major infrastructure programmes.

Heathrow said its expansion plans would include a youth employment and skills plan aimed at creating 5,000 apprenticeships, traineeships and other entry-level opportunities. The opportunities would cover areas including engineering, construction, logistics, sustainability and the wider supply chain.

The council's launch follows the Government's wider focus on improving employment outcomes for young people. Alan Milburn, who is leading the Government's independent review into young people and work, has endorsed the council's objective of using major infrastructure investment to create opportunities for young people.