One thing that stands out is the importance of keeping routes into learning and progression open.

The research shows that learners who don't achieve five good GCSEs are much less likely to progress beyond Level 2 by age 18. For young people who experience periods of being not in education, employment or training (NEET), lower-level learning also continues to play an important role when they return to education.

That shouldn't be seen as a lesser route.

For many people, a Level 1 or Level 2 qualification, Functional Skills, a vocational qualification or a short piece of focused learning can provide the confidence and skills to take their next step.

Progression doesn't always look the same

The DfE findings also underline the importance of vocational education.

Among learners with special educational needs whose highest level of attainment at 25 was Level 2 or Level 3, vocational pathways featured strongly. We see a similar picture among learners who had been eligible for free school meals.

There is an important message in that. Our education and skills system needs to offer credible choices for people with different starting points, needs and ambitions.

This is particularly important for learners with SEND. A traditional, linear route through education will not work for everybody. Some learners may benefit from progressing in smaller stages, learning at a pace that works for them or accessing learning in a setting where they feel comfortable.

What matters is that those routes provide a sense of achievement and a clear next step, whether that's continuing in education, moving towards employment or developing the competence to progress in a career.

Creating routes back in

The NEET findings reinforce this. Once a young person becomes NEET, there is a significant risk that they will experience further periods outside education and employment. But the research also shows movement back into both.

We need to make those routes back in as accessible as possible.

That means having the right qualifications available, but also thinking differently about how learning can be accessed. Short, focused learning can have a role to play.

Through our MicroLens platform, for example, learners can complete bite-sized learning in around 10 to 15 minutes at a time, from home or wherever works for them. They can choose the skills they want to develop and combine different topics around their individual goals.

For learners who may find a longer programme daunting, those manageable milestones can provide something tangible to work towards. Recognition along the way can help build confidence, create momentum and make the next step feel more achievable.

It isn't about replacing qualifications or longer programmes of study. It's about recognising that there can be different ways into them.

That's important when we think about what it really means to be ready for work.

For one person, it could mean developing essential skills. For another, gaining their first vocational qualification or rebuilding confidence after time away from education. For somebody already in work, it could mean developing the skills and competence to progress.

There shouldn't be one definition of being ready, because there isn't one route into work.

Ultimately, success shouldn't only be about how far somebody travels through qualification levels. It should also be about whether we've helped them keep moving forward.

At NOCN Group, we're looking at how we can bring those different routes together and support more people to become ready to learn, ready to work and ready to grow.

We'll have more to share on that soon.