London Youth urges overhaul of Neet strategies
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Strategies to help young people not in employment, education or training (Neet) are in need of an urgent overhaul because as many as 500,000 young people are not getting any support, a youth organisation has warned.
London Youth said that across the UK, 480,000 young people are "hidden" Neets - in that they are not entitled to support as they are not receiving any welfare benefits despite not being in formal work, training or education.
Reasons for being "hidden" include homelessness, mental health problems, drug and alcohol abuse, or working illegally through cash-in-hand jobs or crime.
The membership organisation, which represents around 300 youth clubs across the capital, wants to see this group properly recognised by the government and for the eligibility criteria for support expanded to include those not in receipt of benefits.
It is calling for all young people who are out of work, education and training and not claiming benefits to be included in latest unemployment statistics, and for the government to ensure they are offered meaningful support through job centres.
They also want specialist support programmes to be developed by the government, alongside employers and youth organisations.
The recommendations are made in a report called Hidden in Plain Sight, which estimates that helping this group of young people find work could net the the Treasury an extra £440m through potential income tax and national insurance contributions.
"Data on the number of 'hidden' young people needs to be published at a national and local level so that appropriate interventions can be put in place and be tracked over time," the report states.
"Published data also needs to accurately reflect the realities of employment and the numbers of young people in precarious work who may be vulnerable to unemployment in the future, and for whom being in work does not mean being able to support themselves or live independently."
The report also criticises poor quality careers advice in schools, which it says is fuelling the problem of hidden unemployment among young people.
"'Hidden' young people's journeys through school and onwards are complex and often characterised by a number of false starts," the report adds.
"The majority achieve good grades at school, but poor careers advice while there combined with a challenging job market mean that many young people struggle to successfully navigate their options, fail to recover when things haven't gone to plan or find work that enables them to become fully independent."
Since 2014, London Youth has run the Talent Match London initiative, which helps young people who are Neet through sports, arts, participation and education programmes. To date, it has worked with 2,000 young people, 800 of whom were classed as hidden unemployed.
"Through our work on Talent Match London we know that youth organisations play a vital role in supporting the work of our statutory employment agencies with young people," said London Youth chief executive Rosemary Watt-Wyness.
"That's because they are best placed within local communities across London and trusted by the young people seeking support to navigate their transition from education into work.
"The inclusion and funding of the youth sector as an equal partner to government and the business sector is absolutely critical to the success of future youth-centric employment initiatives.
"Our research provides clear guidance on how we can all better support ‘hidden' young people to overcome existing barriers and is essential reading for all".
The Department for Work and Pensions has been contacted for comment.
