Professor Ceri Brown joined the opening panel at the Careers Development Institute conference in Birmingham to share research insights in NEET prevention.
The panel, which also included Barry Fletcher, CEO of the Youth Futures Foundation, Amnah Vicars, Career Connect and David Morgan, Chief Executive of the CDI, offered a stimulating start to the conference held in Birmingham. The discussion drew together insights into the drivers of and response to the NEET crisis from across policy, research and grassroots experience.
Three key drivers were highlighted through discussion: mental health and wellbeing challenges; a lack of progression opportunities for those young people who don’t pursue academic Post 16 pathways (over 50%); and fewer labour market opportunities in sectors which traditionally employ young people.
Discussion also highlighted the importance of a holistic understanding of risks to NEET, echoing a key message in our article in the November CDI’s Career Matters magazine. For instance, neurodivergent young people, who are more likely to be outside education or work, have higher rates of mental health and wellbeing challenges which interact with the additional institutional and systemic barriers they face around diagnosis, learning and transition. While young people from socio-economically deprived backgrounds face interlinked risks which affect their access to opportunity and new experiences.
Responses to address rising NEET rates were considered. Ceri Brown highlighted the importance of listening to the views of young people themselves when designing support into education and training. Our research suggests that institutional features of the school and workplace, and support for social relationships, including friendship, bullying and access to a trusted adult, are most important to young people. Valuable grassroots examples of co-designed interventions and flexible responses to the needs of groups of young people within local areas illustrated how this can work on the ground.
The importance of building a sense of belonging for young people was a key message. For those furthest from education and work, the importance of a trusted adult to personalise and signpost support, broker opportunities and unpick challenges was highlighted. Panellists discussed the importance of local, place-based solutions which connect young people to support and opportunity in their local communities first. Through this young people develop confidence, autonomy and independence, supporting their growing sense of identity as a learner, employee and citizen.
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