Careers adviser 'changed my life' after mum's death

A man who said he was excluded from school after skipping classes to take his dying mother to hospital appointments said there were "so many hidden challenges" for young people looking for work.

Roman Dibden said he could have been forgotten without the help of his former careers adviser, who reached out with an apprenticeship opportunity after his mum Beverley died when he was 16.

The 29-year-old from Salford said it had inspired him to set up the charity Breakout to help other young people.

Last week the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there were more than one million young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) between January and March 2026.

The latest ONS figures represent an increase of 55,000 from the previous quarter and are at their highest level in 12 years.

They came as a review found there were shrinking job opportunities for young people, with one in six set to be out of work, education or training in five years' time unless action is taken.

Former government minister Alan Milburn said rejections had become the norm for jobseekers and raised fears of a "lost generation".

Roman told the BBC he grew up in "instability", living in social housing and supported accommodation, and that he had been permanently excluded from school at 14.

After his mum had become seriously ill with leukaemia, he said he skipped school to take her to see consultants.

He said "nobody stopped to ask why" or talk to him about what he was going through, and that many others have similar "hidden challenges and barriers".

After his mum's death, a careers advisor called Linda, who had engaged with Roman before he left school, reached out with an opportunity.

"She sent me the email, and shared an apprenticeship opportunity," he said.

"She invested in me, she didn't have to do that but she chose to, and months after I left school."

Roman is now helping bridge the gap between education and work by bringing employers together with young people to create opportunities.

He said NEET was "ugly term", and his charity aimed to challenge stereotypes about young jobseekers, many of whom had "seemingly done everything right".

Roman said employers genuinely want to help but it was "incredibly difficult to farm through hundreds if not thousands of applications".

He said his charity works to bring all parties together to find meaningful solutions and pathways to work.

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