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While the majority of young people spent their later teenage years revising for A-levels, one young, budding entrepreneur was getting business deals with Rolls Royce over the line from his bedroom.

Dan Miller, 27, went from selling sweets out of his locker to schoolmates in Derby to securing partnerships with the likes of KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and PwC in London.

Mr Miller is the CEO and founder of Young Professionals, a company dedicated to linking the biggest corporate organisations with the best young talent Britain's workforce has to offer.

Youth employment has become a hot topic in recent months with Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures finding more than 923,000 young people are classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training).

Starting from humble beginnings, Young Professionals is now one of the largest student networks in the UK with 600,000 young people taking advantage of the company's unique services.

Mr Miller's enterprise offers those entering the job market to engage with prospective employers through industry events, work experience opportunities and school leaver apprenticeships.

As of today, Young Professionals work with around 70 of the world’s biggest companies, including the Big Four and major law firms. They have also partnered with 4,000 schools across the UK and Ireland with 20,000 students attending the company's events during October half-term alone.

According to the businessman, his experience leaving school was a major factor in helping lay the ground work for what Young Professionals would eventually grow to be.

"I set the company up when I was 17, still in school. I didn’t really want to go to uni," Mr Miller told GB News. "I was a bit annoyed that every school career fair was full of universities and not actual employers telling students how to get jobs.

"So, I thought wouldn’t it be great to set up a business that partnered directly with corporate organisations and linked them to students for apprenticeships and work experience?

"Being from Derby, the biggest employers we had were Rolls-Royce and Experian. I literally just picked up the phone to them with my idea. They actually cut me a cheque — Experian gave me £12,000 — which, as a 17-year-old, blew my mind."

According to the business maven, his company's success meant he made his first £1million by 25 and was on the London property ladder by 22.

While the majority businesses struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic, Young Professionals found opportunity for growth even during trying economic times.

Mr Miller added: "When lockdown hit, all events were cancelled — but I quickly pivoted online. We tripled the business during lockdown. Before, we could get 100 people in a room; online we were getting thousands.

"After lockdown, we hired the QEII Centre by Westminster — 10,000 students showed up. That confirmed that this is what students want.

"Interestingly, many first-year university students still apply for apprenticeships because they feel they missed the chance. Uni isn’t for everyone, and we help show that there are real alternatives."

That's not to say Young Professionals did not face its fair share of hurdles on its way to the top with the firm's founder finding his age led to many people in industry not taking him seriously.

"I think my age was the first big one," Mr Miller candidly admitted.

"It’s hard for companies to hand over £50,000 to £60,000 to a teenager. Also, no one teaches you how to run a business. I learned how to write an invoice from one of the Big Four firms. I emailed them, 'please pay to this account,' and they had to tell me to send an actual invoice.

"Another big lesson: undervaluing ourselves. I once pitched to a huge accountancy firm three years in a row and kept getting no. The fourth year, I tripled my prices — and they said yes. That changed everything about how I priced and valued the brand."

While AI continues to be the biggest disruptor across the business world, Mr Miller highlighted that Young Professionals is still able to facilitate getting students a foot in the corporate door.

The CEO added: "Some of our clients have cut tech roles entirely. None are promoting AI-specific roles right now — many are outsourcing those abroad. The focus is still on core services: finance, accounting, law, business.

"But AI is having an impact on applicant numbers. Big firms are receiving way more applications because students are using AI to help. That’s made them raise the benchmark scores for entry tests; from around 70 per cent to 90 per cent, I’ve heard. So using AI can actually make it harder to stand out."

Looking ahead to the next decade, Mr Miller wants Young Professionals to become the "go-to brand" for hiring Britain's next generation of talent and is already laying the groundwork to make these goals a reality.

In 2026, the business is preparing to launch a the Young Professionals Entrepreneurial Fund which will give students an opportunity to win up to £200,000 in startup investment cash.

But what do young people need to do to follow in Mr Miller's footsteps? - The entrepreneur believes the answer is different depending on where you live and your education background.

"If you know what you want to do, degree apprenticeships are a no-brainer," he observed. "You get paid, get experience, and earn the same qualification as university grads. If you’re in Birmingham, you’re competing with local talent — not London or Manchester — so your odds are actually better.

"Graduates, by contrast, compete with everyone nationwide — and even international students If you don’t know what you want yet: take a gap year. Employers love candidates who’ve travelled, worked, or built new skills. It makes you more employable.

"University can be amazing — but if you’re not sure, it’s a very expensive mistake."