"I'm a NEET - I've applied for 400 jobs and only had two interviews"

A fed-up teen has revealed how he’s applied for around 400 jobs in the past year – but received just two interviews.

The shocking scale of rejection highlights the difficulties facing young people as they desperately try to get a foothold in the jobs market.

Dhruv Nathalal, 19, from Wimbledon, London, says despite having successfully completed college courses in information technology and cyber security and applied across a range of sectors, he is constantly turned down.

He now believes part of the problem lies with schools which he says fail to equip young people like him with the skills to navigate the harsh realities of finding a job.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 16 per cent of young people between 18 and 24 are not in education, employment, or training – known as NEETs for short.

One of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first major announcements was to reveals plans to give students in England the opportunity to study subjects like AI, manufacturing, and courses linked to local industries in an attempt to tackle the rising rates of youth unemployment.

The government has indicated the new courses would run from Year 10. They would be linked to local industries and designed to give children a clearer pathway into work.

Dhruv, who lives at home with his parents in Wimbledon, London, welcomed the idea of vocation-led courses and said: "I've applied for like, three or four hundred jobs in the last year. It's honestly just draining.

“I'm looking for anything to get me by, but it's been a mission. It hasn't been easy.

"School gives you the qualifications, but it won't give you the skills you need. They don't build you up for what you actually need in work."

He deliberately opted not to go to university after seeing young people like him leave with “good degrees” only to struggle to find a job.

He said: “I don't really see many benefits to university. It doesn't seem to have as much value as it did before.

“There are loads of people with 'good' degrees struggling to get into work.”

He argues that claims young people are unwilling to work are wrong, saying many simply do not know how to break into the labour market.

He has now sent a ‘must do better’ call to schools, saying that while they do well to help students gain qualifications, they fail to prepare them for looking for work.

Dhruv added: I've applied for like, three or four hundred jobs in the last year. It's honestly just draining.

“I'm looking for anything to get me by, but it's been a mission. It hasn't been easy.

“When I started looking, I didn't have a good CV or any experience. I was applying for jobs against people who have several years' experience.

“How can I compete with that?

“School gives you the qualifications, but it won't give you the skills you need. They don't build you up for what you actually need in work.”

He has now combined his job search with trying to improve his CV and employability through the SPEAR support programme.

It highlights gaps around CV writing, interview prep and understanding what employers expect.

Having endured hundreds of rejections, Dhruv is now waiting to hear back from an interview last week.

And he says he is “more optimistic” that the rise in AI and new digital technologies may lead to companies seeking support from young people.

He added: “I love tech and IT, so I'd love to have a job in that. My dream job used to be a data analyst."