You report the grim findings of a new study that reveals the high numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet)in towns where "almost one in four under-25s are Neets", such as Grimsby, Doncaster and Warrington (Towns where 1 in 4 young are 'Neets' revealed, 4 November) .

I am the unnamed academic quoted in your article as saying that the government's cuts are "needlessly sacrificing" young people. I did not say this lightly. I have conducted research with marginalised young people in provincial areas of industrial decline and more rural areas of the UK, and was called as an expert witness to the select committee on young people who are Neet. In my experience these young people have new and sometimes inspiring ways of seeing the world, but unless we change our ways of thinking, talking about and working with them, the situation will get worse and we will never make progress.

Despite their growing numbers, it is not inevitable that any young person should be Neet. In our unequal society there is so much work that needs doing – by trained and qualified people, not volunteers – to meet the needs of vulnerable people. We need to create jobs offering physical support, companionship and stimulation to those isolated by dementia or learning disabilities, for example. This is work that very many young people I have worked with say they would like to do. While the education system that has often failed them rewards being individualistic and competitive, they would prefer to work with and for others. We need a programme of targeted education and apprenticeships focusing on social care.

Policy rhetoric positions young people who are Neet as lacking aspirations and skills and needing to move away from the so-called "black spots" to get jobs. But these young people are very loyal to their home towns, even when, and perhaps especially when, those locations are poor or, as you state, "areas with a history of industrial decline". If we could change focus to regeneration of these towns, rather than abandonment, then these young people become the potential solution, not the problem.

We need to build on the skills and interests these young people already have. Just because someone doesn't have a job or isn't in college doesn't mean they are not learning. My research shows they have amazing skills in informal areas such as music, computing and film-making, but these are always ignored in favour of trying to force them back into formal education. We need to build on this untapped potential, and the first step is to learn more about what they are doing and give it value. Working up from this, rather than imposing punitive schemes from above, we can develop pathways to employment.

Young people are not "Neets" – they are people, and people with knowledge and community loyalty to offer. We need to stop fearing and shying away from them and start responding to their own visions of different futures.