Memorandum submitted by The Prince's Trust
1. STRATEGIES FOR
THE IDENTIFICATION
OF YOUNG
PEOPLE AT
RISK OF
FALLING INTO
THE NEET CATEGORY
1.1 The Prince's Trust works with, on average
40,000 young people a year, all of whom at one stage or another
have been or are NEET. The experience of the Trust is that young
people most at risk of becoming NEET may well have expressed dissatisfaction
in, or disengagement from, learning while at school, for example
by truanting, disruptive behaviour or low educational achievement.
1.2 The Trust would emphasise that identification
of young people at risk of becoming NEET should begin well before
young people leave school, and that school records should be used
in this identification process. This will allow for the possibility
of alternative support and/or provision to be in place before
young people reach school leaving age, thus limiting the numbers
of young people becoming NEET when they reach the post-Year 11
transition stage. This is why The Trust's xl clubs were set up,
supporting "at risk" young people during their last
2 years of mandatory schooling.
1.3 Effective information sharing between organisations
can also allow young people at risk of becoming NEET to be identified
and effectively supported. The Trust has a Memorandum of Understanding
with Jobcentre Plus, helping to ensure that young people are referred
to the Trust's "Team" programme before they become long-term
NEET. Feedback from Team Leaders to JCP staff also ensures that
young people at risk are known to JCP and that further strategies
of support, informed by well-rounded knowledge of the individual,
can be put in place if necessary.
2. SERVICES AND
PROGRAMMES TO
SUPPORT THOSE
MOST AT
RISK OF
BECOMING NEET, AND
TO REDUCE
THE NUMBERS
AND ADDRESS
THE NEEDS
OF THOSE
WHO HAVE
BECOME PERSISTENTLY
NEET
2.1 The Prince's Trust has a range of programmes
to support young people who are, or at risk of becoming NEET and
those who have become persistently NEET. The Trust's programmes
are designed to trace a learning journey, beginning with the informal
"Get Started" for the hardest to reach right through
to programmes for the job ready. The effectiveness of all programmes
are measured by how many young people make the transition into
education training or employment, three months after leaving the
programme. See below for details on the % of young people who
move out of NEET and onto ETE.
2.2 "Get Started" is aimed at young
people who are persistently NEET. It is a short, motivating programme
(generally 5-8 days in length), which engages young people using
sport or the arts, and uses these activities as a vehicle for
personal development. It culminates in a final challenge or celebration
such as a performance or sports coaching session, when the group
brings together the skills they have learnt. Participants then
receive three months progression support to move into training,
education, employment, further programmes such as Team or volunteering.
73% of young people finishing Get Started move into employment,
education or training.
2.3 The XL programme runs in 569 schools and
centres, 23% of which are in Pupil Referral Units and Young Offenders
Institutions. This 2 year programme delivers five modules to under-achieving
14-16 year olds, including personal skills, citizenship, a community
project, enterprise and entrepreneurship and preparing for the
world of work. Young people involved in XL have shown great success
in navigating the transition from school: 85% go on to employment,
self-employment, education or training. 25 centres are currently
piloting QCF units with the intention of developing a qualification
which will sit within the Foundation Learning Tier—at either
award, certificate or diploma level.
2.4 "Team" is a twelve week programme
which supports 16-25 NEET young people to develop skills, motivation
and confidence. Young people take part in team building activities,
including a community project and residential, and are given work
experience opportunities. Team delivers a QCF qualification in
vocational skills and is currently piloting a QCF qualification
in functional skills to be embedded into existing provision. From
September 2010, personal and social development skills will be
accredited with a QCF qualification. Young people on Team are
helped to move into education, employment or training on completion
of the programme. The effectiveness of Team is made clear by its
outcomes, with 72% of young people who take part moving into education,
training or employment.
2.5 "Get Into" allows NEET young people
to experience and develop their skills in vocational careers.
It is targeted at those young people who are job ready. "Get
Into" programmes include construction, sport, catering, retail,
social care and maritime and deliver Level 2 industry-recognised
qualifications. The Prince's Trust has developed relationships
with prominent employers in each sector, thus ensuring opportunities
which are both meaningful and desirable. Six months of ongoing
support on completion of "Get Into" means that young
people are able to access personalised advice from a single, consistent
source as they look to move into education, training or employment.
75% of young people involved in the Trust's "Get Into"
programmes moved into education, training or employment
2.6 The "Business Programme" aims
to support young people interested in self-employment to explore
and test their business ideas, write business plans and start
their own businesses or achieve alternative outcomes in education,
training or work. 90% are employed or self employed three months
after finishing the programme.
3 THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF THE
GOVERNMENT'S
NEET STRATEGY
3.1 Tracking
The Prince's Trust has been supportive of the
Government's NEET strategy, and in particular its aims to ensure
a more personalised approach and a broader range of provision.
The Trust's work with NEET young people means that it is aware
that reducing the numbers of young people who are NEET is complex
and requires a multi-faceted approach
3.2 Tracking to ensure NEET young people are
highlighted and appropriate referrals are made is clearly extremely
important. While Jobcentre Plus can effectively track many of
those young people aged 18 and over who are NEET, young people
under 18 may be more difficult to identify. The work of Connexions
in tracking this age group is therefore extremely important. Connexions
contact with young people during secondary school and beyond means
that they are in a unique position to identify and refer 16 and
17 year olds who have become NEET.
3.3 Effective referral procedures which follow
on from tracking can mean young people are prevented from becoming
long term NEET. The Prince's Trust has close working relationships
with both Connexions and the Jobcentre Plus which allows swift
referrals to the Trust's provision from each organisation and
effective feedback to Connexions and JCP from the Trust.
3.4 The Prince's Trust has developed its own
tracking procedures to follow up young people who have taken part
in programmes. A range of systems allow for effective tracking,
including progression mentors who support and follow young people's
progress, outcome forms and text surveys. Quality of service is
measured by the Trust's "Matrix" system which gathers
feedback from young people on quality of delivery. The Trust is
piloting differing tracking systems using mobile phone technology
as not all young people have access to the internet.
4 PERSONALISED GUIDANCE
AND SUPPORT
4.1 The Trust views personalised guidance and
support as essential in order to deliver effective provision to
young people. A 14-19 prospectus in each Local Authority must
ensure that all provision is accounted for and is current. It
also needs to be easily accessible to young people, both available
online and as hard copy for those young people who don't have
access to the internet at home.
4.2 The development of targeted youth services
is positive and recognises that some young people will need more
intensive input in order to progress positively. The Trust believes
that the role of mentoring in ensuring the best quality outcomes
for vulnerable young people is also essential.
4.3 The Prince's Trust is working with Clinks,
Catch 22, St Giles Trust, Mentoring & Befriending Foundation
and Innovation Exchange to deliver "Gate Mate". The
Trust believes that all young people should be met by a positive
role model on their release from custody who can deliver high
quality mentoring in order to help ensure that they do not return.
Entering education, training and employment is shown to be a key
factor in reducing re-offending and mentoring will play a vital
role in guiding young people towards opportunities and offering
ongoing support following take up of opportunities.
4.4. The Prince's Trust mentoring project for
young offenders on release is called the One to One project. It
is currently being piloted in HMP Guys Marsh and HMP Eastwood
Park. The project is also being developed in the South East (Reading
YOI) and Northern Ireland (Hydebank Wood).
4.5 The Trust is also currently delivering progression
mentoring. Progression mentoring focuses solely on helping young
people into a positive outcome on completion of a Trust programme,
and in supporting them to sustain this activity. Mentors are matched
to young people and work with them to determine goals and steps
towards their achievement, allowing young people ownership of
their progression pathway.
4.6 The Trust also offers targeted support to
care leavers via mentoring. Our "Leaving Care Mentor"
projects enable mentors to support young people through the transition
from leaving care to independent living. They operate in partnership
with social services in the East of England, South East, East
Midlands, Wales and the North East of England.
5 PROVISION OF
A FULL
RANGE OF
COURSES TO
MEET DEMAND
5.1 The Prince's Trust has a long history of
providing courses to young people who are underachieving and supports
the Government's recognition of the need for a full range of courses
to meet the needs of all young people. Many of the young people
the Trust works with have been long-term NEET and have benefitted
from being able to access courses which sit outside of mainstream
provision. Young people working with the Prince's Trust have subsequently
been motivated to return to more mainstream provision and work,
as well as developing their own enterprises with support from
Prince's Trust grants.
5.2 Prince's Trust programmes are available
throughout the year, allowing young people who have not enrolled
in, or have dropped out of, Further Education to access courses
before January or September start dates. Young people are able
to access tasters and work experience prior to making decisions
about mainstream education, training or employment, thus reducing
the risk of repeated drop out which can be significantly detrimental
to motivation and progression.
5.3 The Prince's Trust agrees that enabling
and accrediting achievement is essential for all young people,
and so welcomes the potential of Foundation Learning to cater
to those young people working below Level 2. It also supports
the possibility of Foundation Learning to give young people ownership
of their programme of study. What is absent from the QCF in England
(although present in Wales' QCFW) is more informal development
opportunities. Informal learning can be especially useful for
young people who are particularly hard to reach. The Trust's "Get
Started" programme is an example of a successful informal
programme, which acts as a stepping stone towards more formal
learning.
5.4 The three strands of Foundation Learning—skills
for work and life, vocational and subject based learning, personal
and social development—are included throughout Prince's
Trust programmes. It is important that as the curriculum develops
in line with 14-19 reform, organisations which have had long-term
success in delivering Entry Level and Level 1 accreditation are
embraced by delivery partners and embedded into options available
to young people.
5.5 Key Stage 4 engagement and its potential
to prevent young people becoming NEET has long been recognised
and practised by the Prince's Trust via its XL programme. Early
engagement can be essential in preventing NEET outcomes for school
leavers.
6 RIGHTS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
6.1 The fast-tracking of 18 year olds to the
"gateway" stage of Flexible New Deal means that JCP
staff will need to make immediate referrals to programmes which
have been key in engaging young people. Opportunities may be missed
if this is not the case. The Prince's Trust's Team programme,
for example, successfully motivated 72% of young people into education,
training and employment last year. The course is twelve weeks
long and, as a result, will be inaccessible to young people if
referrals are not made swiftly by JCP staff.
6.2 The Prince's Trust supports developments
within the Young Person's Guarantee. With a history of offering
vocational training, work-based taster opportunities and work
experience, it recognises the value of work experience, internships
and apprenticeships. Young people, particularly in the current
climate, may well struggle to find suitable employment, and the
potential of the Future Jobs Fund to aid young people into work
is a welcome development.
6.3 The Trust is a keen advocate of volunteering
as a means of helping young people to gain vital skills and knowledge,
as well as an opportunity to give back to the community. There
needs to be clear guidance on benefits for young people who choose
to access unpaid opportunities in order to ensure that they do
not miss out on financial support when they are entitled to it.
Furthermore, it is essential that young people who do have to
claim benefits do not miss career development opportunities that
work experience and volunteering can offer. The potential for
a gap developing in terms of skills, experience and career development
between young people who are financially supported by parents
or carers, and young people who are claiming benefits, must not
be realised. While the Trust recognises the importance of young
people moving into available paid employment, this needs to be
meaningful, in line with their career goals, and not at the expense
of skills which they may be gaining in an unpaid capacity.
7 THE LIKELY
IMPACT OF
RAISING THE
PARTICIPATION AGE
ON STRATEGIES
FOR ADDRESSING
THE NEEDS
OF YOUNG
PEOPLE NOT
IN EDUCATION,
EMPLOYMENT OR
TRAINING
7.1 The Prince's Trust works with large numbers
of young people who have underachieved in mainstream education.
Its programmes help enable young people to gain skills, qualifications
and experience in key skills and vocational areas. Experience
has enabled The Trust to develop programmes which are both attractive
to young people and which put them in a position to move forward.
7.2 While the Trust would support moves which
help to ensure that young people achieve their potential and do
not become `NEET' at 16 and 17, it would urge the Government to
look to organisations such as the Prince's Trust in order to determine
best practice for engaging hard to reach young people. Emphasis
on vocational skills, enterprise and motivation has proved very
successful in moving young people into positive outcomes. Rather
than "criminalising" young people who fail to comply
with compulsory education, the Trust would recommend that those
young people who don't engage are referred to programmes that
fall outside of the mainstream which not only develop motivation,
but may also offer accredited outcomes which may be used as Foundation
Learning credits.
7.3 Courses offered to young people as part
of the raising participation age strategy should have a strong
vocational element. The Prince's Trust has supported young people
to achieving real success via programmes with a vocational focus.
Young people are able to access practical, hands-on experience
which can help pave the way for take up of pre-apprenticeship
programmes, further education courses and work.
8 THE OPPORTUNITIES
AND FUTURE
PROSPECTS IN
EDUCATION, TRAINING
AND EMPLOYMENT
FOR 16-18 YEAR
OLDS
8.1 The Prince's Trust has conducted research
on potential areas of growth during the recession in order to
feed into vocational programmes which will most benefit young
people.
8.2 Areas of potential growth identified by
the Trust include environmental industries, elderly care and domestic
tourism. It would advocate exciting, vocationally based programmes
and work experience opportunities for young people to access in
these areas. A focus on accredited outcomes will be advantageous
for young people seeking to improve their employability within
these areas of potential growth.
8.3 The Leitch Review emphasised the need for
highly skilled workers within the changing economy and the Trust
would support efforts to address this. With regards to hard-to-reach
young people, "skilling up" needs to be embedded in
vocational training opportunities with clear structures, dedicated
support and regular recognition of achievement to inspire ongoing
motivation. Organisations such as the Prince's Trust can offer
these opportunities and could deliver as part of Foundation Learning.
8.4 The Trust has a history of encouraging enterprise
via grants, its XL and Business programmes. Supporting enterprise
is vital in order to develop a dynamic and innovative work force.
Young people who may have under achieved at school are given the
opportunity to develop business ideas, fostering their potential
and allowing them to utilise their own unique sets of experience
and skills.
8.5 Volunteering delivers extremely positive
results for young people. Not only does it develop skills and
work experience, but it can also allow young people to give back
to their communities and to develop lasting positive relationships
within them. The Prince's Trust would support any moves which
help to promote well-supported, carefully structured volunteering.
It would be concerned by moves which might discourage take up
and/or continuation of volunteering, for example compulsion to
move into paid employment for young people claiming JSA.
December 2009
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