House of Commons - Young people not in education, employment or training

Young people not in education, employment or training - Children, Schools and Families Committee Contents

1 Who are "NEETs"?

5. There are a number of options open to young people when they reach the age of 16. Many choose to continue in full-time education in schools and colleges, studying for A-levels, Diplomas, or vocational qualifications. Some choose to undertake work-based learning, either in the form of an Apprenticeship or in employment with accredited training such as NVQs. Others will choose to participate in employment with no formal training component. The remainder—including those on gap years or who are full-time volunteers—are classed as being "not in education, employment or training".[5]

6. The proportion of 16-18 year olds not in employment, education or training has changed very little since 1995. In that year, 9.2% of the cohort were not in employment, education or training; at the end of 2008, this figure was 10.3%.[6] In the intervening years, the proportion of 16-18 year olds who were NEET fluctuated between 8% and 11%; research undertaken by the National Audit Office for this Committee notes that there was "no clear trend across the period".[7] The same research also notes that this proportion was "at its lowest in 1999 (8.1%) and peaked in 2005 (10.7%)".[8] Figure 1 shows the proportion of 16, 17 and 18 year olds not in education, employment or training since 1997.

Figure 1: Proportion of 16, 17 and 18 year olds NEET

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families[9]

7. The Department for Children, Schools and Families has a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to reduce the proportion of 16-18 year olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) by 2% points, from 9.6% in 2004 to 7.6% by 2010. Data published in June 2009 in the Statistical First Release (SFR) "Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England"[10] suggest that the Government is unlikely to meet this target: the proportion of 16-18 year olds NEET at the end of 2008 was 10.3%. Moreover, the proportion has not fallen below 9.6% since 2004: in 2005, it was 10.7%; in 2006, 10.4%; and in 2007, 9.7%.

8. The proportion of 18 year olds who are NEET is considerably higher than the proportion of 16 or 17 year olds. The National Audit Office, drawing on data for 2007, noted that "the proportion of 18 year olds NEET is more than twice that of 16 year olds".[11] By the end of 2008 the difference was even greater: the proportion of 16 year olds NEET was 5.2%, while for 18 year olds the figure was 16.6%.[12]

9. The group of young people who fall into this category is far from homogenous. The National Audit Office has, however, identified a number of trends. It found that:

A higher proportion of white young people are NEET than is seen among most ethnic minority groups.
Young people who are NEET are more likely than their peers to have a disability or longer term health problem.
Children in local authority care are much more likely than their peers to be NEET.
16/17 year olds who are NEET are more likely to have engaged in risky behaviours (smoking or vandalism, for example) by age of 13/14.
Disadvantage in its many forms is a more common feature of early life for 16/17 year olds who are NEET.[13]

10. Research undertaken by the Audit Commission shows that there are three distinct groups of young people within the overall cohort who are NEET. It suggests that 41% are "open to learning" and require "modest interventions". A further 22% are "undecided", and require "good information, advice and guidance to help them". The remaining 38% constitute the "'sustained NEET group" and have "complex needs that must be tackled before they can progress to education, employment or training".[14] Particularly disadvantaged are those young people who have multiple or complex needs; for example, those with special educational needs and young women who are mothers.

11. The proportion of 16-18 year olds who are NEET also varies significantly between regions. The final report of the Engaging Youth Enquiry, a study conducted by Rathbone and the Nuffield Review Team, notes the scale of the differences in 2007:

Nationally, the level of local variation in the 16-18 year old 'NEET' rate is stark—from 15% in Knowsley on Merseyside and 13.3% in Stoke-on-Trent to 2.6% in Richmond upon Thames. The variation between London boroughs is from Richmond at 2.6% to 11.7% in Hackney.[15]

The same study notes that there can also be huge differences within regions, using as an example data from 2007 relating to Yorkshire and the Humber: the percentage of NEETs ranged from 3.8% in North Yorkshire to 11.3% in Kingston upon Hull.[16]

12. Although there have been no major changes in the overall proportion of 16-18 year olds who are NEET, witnesses repeatedly drew our attention to changes beneath the headline figure.[17] The rate of participation in full time education, for instance, has risen from 57.9% in 1995 to 64.1% in 2008. The rate of participation in work-based learning, on the other hand, has declined from 10.4% in 1994 to 6.5% in 2008. More recently, the rate of employment for this age group has also declined, from 15% in 2001, to 12.8% in 2005, to 10% at the end of 2008.[18]

The term "NEET"

13. The phrase "not in education, employment or training" is—as we ourselves have already demonstrated—commonly abbreviated to "NEET". People who are not participating in education, employment or training—especially those between the ages of 16 and 24—are sometimes known as "NEETs". During the course of this inquiry, it has become apparent that this term attracts a certain amount of controversy. The reasons for this are twofold: first, that it is a negative term that risks stigmatising the young people to whom it is applied; and second, that it is a residual statistical category that encompasses a wide range of young people with very different needs.

14. On the first point, a number of witnesses were concerned about the negative connotations of the term "NEET". Professor Jocey Quinn of London Metropolitan University told us that use of the term NEET turned young people into "an alien species".[19] The Association of Learning providers suggested that the term can "often be seen as pejorative and thus unhelpful".[20] The Local Government Association noted that the term was "often used to stigmatise young people" and argued for its abolition. Few witnesses, however, were able to suggest alternatives. Judith Hay, Head of Positive Contribution & Economic Well-being, Children's Services, Sunderland City Council, proposed "SEET"—that is, "seeking education, employment and training."[21] Peter Lister of the Prince's Trust offered "PWUPs"—"people with untapped potential."[22]

15. Other witnesses were more pragmatic. Shaks Ghosh, Chief Executive of the Private Equity Foundation, told us: "NEET is fairly factual. It is what it says on the tin: people who are not in education, employment or training".[23] Sonia Sodha of Demos was concerned that any alternative "would just take on the same status as the term NEET."[24] Professor Rob MacDonald, Professor of Sociology at Teesside University, told us that "NEET" was not used as a derogatory term among young people themselves: "in my experience, [the term] has absolutely no currency with the people whom we might call NEETs".[25]

16. The question of whether government policy should address these young people as a group is more complex. The diversity of the group is undeniable. Witnesses from local authorities told us that the most successful means of reducing the proportion of 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training was a full understanding of the diverse needs of the "NEET" group. Judith Hay, Head of Positive Contribution & Economic Well-being, Children's Services, Sunderland City Council, underscored the importance of data segmentation—that is, "knowing exactly where your NEETs are and why they are NEET".[26] Mark Sanders, Chief Executive of Bury Council, told us that it was crucial that local authorities did not seek to impose "one solution on all". He added:

For this group of youngsters in particular, it is about bespoking what we are able to do and applying that to the particular needs of an individual at different ages and at different times, perhaps by simply repeating things, and then being able to slot people into a complex system that suits their individual needs.[27]

Shaks Ghosh argued that the term should be retained, "as long as we understand [...] that it is a very big bucket and that segmentation is absolutely critical."[28]

17. In 2007, the Government published Reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET): The Strategy. The Government's most recent policy document in this area, Investing in Potential, is described not as a "NEET Strategy" but rather as a "Strategy to increase the proportion of 16-24 year olds in education, employment or training."

18. We accept that the term "NEET" is imperfect. In particular, its use as a noun to refer to a young person can be pejorative and stigmatising. It is, however, a commonly used statistical category, and—in the absence of an appropriate alternative—we have accepted it as a first step in understanding the issues.

5 16-18 year olds who are residing in a custodial institution or who are refugees or asylum seekers not yet granted citizenship are neither EET nor NEET. Back

6 Department for Children, Schools and Families, Statistical First Release: Participation In Education, Training And Employment By 16-18 Year Olds In England, June 2009. Figures for end 2008 are provisional. Back

7 Memorandum from the National Audit Office (NEET 01), November 2008, paragraph 1.18 Back

8 Ibid. Back

9 Ev 129 Back

10 Department for Children, Schools and Families, Statistical First Release: Participation In Education, Training And Employment By 16-18 Year Olds In England, June 2009 Back

11 Memorandum from the National Audit Office (NEET 01), November 2008, paragraph 8 Back

12 Department for Children, Schools and Families, Statistical First Release: Participation In Education, Training And Employment By 16-18 Year Olds In England, June 2009 Back

13 Memorandum from the National Audit Office (NEET 01), November 2008, paragraphs 9-12 Back

14 Written evidence from the Audit Commission (NEET 13), paragraph 10 Back

15 Rathbone and Nuffield Review, Engaging Youth Enquiry: Final Report, p 15 Back

16 Rathbone and Nuffield Review, Engaging Youth Enquiry: Final Report, p 14 Back