General |
Personal problems or disrupted family relationships resulting in disrupted accommodation can mean that young people have limited energy to consider educational progression. Negative experiences of schooling act as a disincentive to going into further education, particularly for students who have had attainment problems at school or who have poor basic skills. Self perceptions play a role in young people's decisions to study, as some do not feel capable of finishing a long course. Low expectations of school teachers/school careers advisers and the benefits trap as well as the following problems on transition: - Experience of the college environment as busy and less supportive than school
- Less tolerance of disruptive behaviour in colleges
- Adjustment to new less definitive instructions
- Problems reading instructions
- Anxiety over changes in transport ( e.g. bus passes) and benefits.
Attitudes towards schools. The NEET group have less positive views about school. Over half of those NEET at 16 in 2001 felt that school had done little to prepare them for life after school although over a third of those not NEET agreed with this too. 60 per cent of NEETs and 80 per cent of non- NEETs agreed school work was generally worth doing. NEETs had less positive views about the quality of teachers. A small proportion of NEETs are not in any high risk groups. The Youth Cohort Study surveys of 16 year olds in 2001 showed that nearly 20 per cent of the whole cohort lived in owner-occupied housing, never played truant, were high achievers in year 11 and were from professional/managerial backgrounds. However, this represents only 0.5 per cent of NEETs at 16. |
Source:
Report of the Big Step Project
Young People from Education for All
Researching Young People outside work and education* |
Additional Support Needs
e.g. those with specific learning needs; language/communication disorders; social/emotional needs; disabilities; individuals whose first language is not English. |
For disabled people, barriers to education, employment and training include: - educational attainmen
- information deficit regarding the support available to disabled people
- out-of-date advice received from Information, Advice and Guidance outlets
- low employer awareness
- inaccessibility to the workplace (lack of appropriate facilities)
- ongoing stereotypes assumed by employers and educators.
Behavioural difficulties were found to adversely affect the educational performance of young people. A major barrier to transition for young people with additional support needs is the lack of effective communication between agencies. |
Source:
Education, Employment and Training Policies and Programmes for Youth with Disabilities in 4 European Countries**; Researching Young People outside work and education*; Moving on from School to College: ASN |
Asylum Seekers |
From reviewing existing literature, asylum seekers have not been identified in the NEET group, representing a significant gap in research on NEET sub groups. |
Black Minority Ethnic Group |
In Scotland, Census 2001 data shows that the percentage unemployed for 16-24 year old Pakistanis and other South Asia is higher (11.9%) than for Whites (10.6%). Three key groups at risk in the rest of the UK include: Bangladeshis, Afro-Caribbeans and Pakistanis. Therefore, the Scottish picture is somewhat different to the UK. Geography tends to be determinant of BME labour force participation with BME communities suffering from the effects of living in deprived areas. The BME group tends to have a higher incidence of poor health which is likely to be connected to over-representation in deprived areas. BMEs tend to suffer from lack of fluency in Englishe.g. over 75 per cent of over 25 year old Bangladeshi women do not speak English ( UK). Lower educational achievement - BME citizens lag behind that of White school pupils, with the exception of Indian origin pupils. At GCSE level the proportion of White pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades lags by 16 per cent for Blacks and 10 per cent for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis ( UK figures). Low uptake of formal childcare amongst ethnic minorities. Employers' attitudes: White young men are four times more likely than black Caribbean young men to be in employment. From a sample of black Caribbean young men, 44 per cent felt they had been treated unfairly when trying to get a job due to the colour of their skin ( UK figures). |
Source:
Ethnic Minorities and the Labour Market*
Researching Young People outside work and education* |
Education disaffection
e.g. those affected by low attainment, truancy and exclusion from school. |
Low attainers - have a higher incidence of truancy in 4 th year at school
- had parents who had left school at 15 or younger representing the reproduction of educational disadvantage across generations
- are more likely to be studying at FE than higher attainers - FE seems to be offering a 'second chance'
- are more likely to be working in personal and protective services, sales occupations, plant and machine operatives
Young women consistently achieve better results than young men in school exams. The higher the level of formal qualification achieved, the better chance the individual has of avoiding unemployment. There is an increased likelihood for those who were persistent or occasional truants in year 11 of secondary school to be NEET. Qualification levels at 18 for those with a history of truancy are very much lower than those without. |
Source:
The Effects of Low Attainment on Young People's outcomes at 22-23
What happens to 16-18s?* |
Family Disadvantage and poverty group |
Youth Cohort Study findings, as detailed in Researching Young People outside work and education, suggest young people were more likely to spend time NEET if their parents had low skilled occupations, were not in full-time work, or were not owner-occupiers. There was an increased risk of being NEET for children living in one-parent families or very large families. NEETness was more common in regions with a history of high unemployment - ( UK-based literature pointed to the North, North West, Yorkshire & Humberside and Wales as problem areas, in comparison to regions where unemployment had remained comparatively low including the South East and East Anglia. The Impact of Social Exclusion on Young People moving into Adulthood, research carried out in Teeside, an area dominated by local industry in decline revealed: - to be socially included in the community, one must cast out any aspiration to study or 'better oneself' - social inclusion serves to prevent people from leaving the social conditions that prescribe their exclusion from society
- almost all young people at school leaving age want to work, few were keen to live a life on benefits. Getting a job was considered to be key to attaining adult status.
Young people from unskilled manual backgrounds were more than five times more likely to be NEET than young people from managerial/professional backgrounds. One in four young people living on 'difficult to let' estates gained no GCSEs - five times the national average. Costs of travel, books and equipment as well as day-to-day living expenses are a problem for young people from low-income families - low paid, low skilled employment or unemployment may be preferable to the risks associated with investing financially in education or training, especially if the only option is a full time course. Bridging the Gap report highlights changes in the labour market as a barrier:- - a decline in the types of work which require few qualifications or none at all
- The increasing scarcity of skilled manual jobs in craft and related occupations
- The growth of occupations in service industries, and in technical and professional jobs accessed through academic study and higher education.
Those from poor neighbourhoods are likely to suffer from a range of factors which tend to reduce participation in education, employment or training: - The effect of second or third generation unemployment in families
- Expectations based on past employment patternse.g. that young men can and should find manual work
- Obstacles presented by geographic isolation in disadvantaged rural areas and outer estates with poor public transport links
- The view that employers avoid people with particular addresses.
|
Source:
Young People NEET*
Researching Young People outside work and education*
Literature Review of the Costs of being NEET*
Increasing participation in education and training: 16 to 19*
Bridging the Gap Report*
Better Behaviour in Schools |
Limiting Long Term Illnesses |
Young people trying to gain access to low-level entry jobs face specific barriers:- - Jobs of this kind are often on short-term contracts, low pay in poor conditions and offer little training
- These conditions create high income-risk situations for people who are already living in the margins of poverty
- These jobs also tend to seek specific qualities such as good time keeping, reliability and good communication skills
- In addition workers are required to be flexible and mobile, and willing to retrain
- The young people in the subject group (16 to 25 year olds with mental health problems) are unlikely to have these skills, and therefore are unlikely to reach the required levels of employability.
- Other specific barriers include:
- Additional strain of managing medication and symptoms
- Stigma
- Stamina for a 7 - 8 hour working day, in the absence of being given the opportunity to develop this
- The benefits trap, the removal of unemployed status for 16 to 18 year olds has created hardship for this age group
- Complications in the allocation for sheltered accommodation which does not allow residents to work, and remain in sheltered accommodation
- (Specific to disabled people) Lack of information among schools about employment options, transport and access difficulties
- (Specific to disabled people) Disincentives within the benefits system to take up employment.
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Source:
Working IT Out |
Substance (drug/alcohol) Abuse |
According to Information and Statistics Division, research shows of this group:- - Few were in paid work, although some had part time or casual jobs
- Previously, most had worked in unskilled and semi-skilled jobs although a significant minority had attended college or university
- Most were claiming benefits, but some were unaware of their entitlements and so did not always claim.
Barriers to education, employment and training include: - Fear of losing welfare benefits
- Standard recruitment requirements and procedures of employers
- Personal attitudes: fear of failure, low expectations and lack of self confidence
- In rural areas, there tends to be a deficiency in the provision ofspecialist services and attitudinal barriers, such as the stigma associated with drug use in small communities.
|
Source:
Moving on: Education, training and employment for recovering drug users |
Teenage Parents |
Pregnancy and childcare was cited as a significant barrier for women. Availability and cost as well as guilt of leaving their child in a childminder's care prevented women's participation in education. There is an increase in the likelihood of a woman who is NEET for six months or more to have a child, than those who are in education, employment and training. |
Source:
Literature Review of the Costs of being NEET* |
Young Carers |
No robust data on this sub-group is provided in current literature on the NEET group. In particular the literature does not consider issues faced by this group. |
Source:
Literature Review of the Costs of being NEET* |
Young Care Leavers |
Poor attainment can in part be attributed to poor interaction between the care and the education systems. Children in care have a higher likelihood of exhibiting behavioural problems at school, especially between the ages of seven and eleven. The majority of young people leaving care do so with no qualifications, this is reflected in their poor transition and work outcomes. Incidences of non-attendance at school could be as high as 40 per cent. Regional differences in non-attendance were marked and some gender differences, with girls more likely to be lacking any kind of educational arrangements. Children in care also experience higher levels of exclusion from school. Many children experienced educational dislocation due to being taken into care and find teachers and their peers treat them differently - no allowances were made for their upheavals, or the difficulties they may experience completing homework (due to lack of study space in children's units). Mostly being taken into care has a negative impact on children's education as: - Perception that no one takes an interest;
- there is lack of clarity over responsibility amongst professionals
- changes in school become more frequent
- education is not always valued in the carer environment.
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Source:
Education and Care away from Home
Better Behaviour in Schools |
Young Offenders |
Young offending correlated with truancy and social exclusion and a number of other family and community factors. 13 per cent of non-participants mentioned a criminal record as a barrier to employment, compared to 1 per cent of those in education, employment and training. |
Source:
Literature Review of the Costs of being NEET*
Bridging the Gap Report* |