The current COVID-19 pandemic which has affected over 373 million people globally and resulted in over 5.6 million deaths has disrupted just about every aspect of social, economic and political life over the few years. Young people in particular - though mostly escaping the brunt of infections of coronavirus - have been disproportionately disadvantaged by the unprecedented developments of recent years. The under-25s have been hit especially hard over the last year, and there has been a huge increase in the number of youngsters classified as Neet (not in education, employment or training) according to recent figures published by the Office for National Statistics in the UK. Moreover, the mental health of children and young people - especially those from lower socio-economic groups - has been negatively impacted by the recent lockdowns and closure of schools and colleges. Given this picture of radical disadvantage, it is suggested that plans for general educational, and more particularly, vocational reconstruction for post-16 education and training will need to address these inequalities in terms of funding and curriculum development. In addition, such a new model of post-school vocational and education and training (VET) should seek to address the problems of climate change and, in this respect, any blueprinting for future development will ideally need to embrace the requirements for a new green industrial revolution to reduce carbon emissions and halt global warming. © 2022 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
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