Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: November 2018

Employment and labour market.

Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: November 2018

For July to September 2018, there were 760,000 young people (aged 16 to 24 years) in the UK who were not in education, employment or training (NEET); this number decreased by 23,000 from April to June 2018 and was down 29,000 when compared with July to September 2017.

The percentage of all young people in the UK who were NEET was 10.9%; the proportion was down 0.3 percentage points from April to June 2018 and down 0.3 percentage points from July to September 2017.

Of all young people in the UK who were NEET, 37.0% were looking for work and available for work and therefore classified as unemployed; the remainder were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and therefore classified as economically inactive.

YouGov has today (22 Nov) released the Education and Training Statistics for the UK 2018, which specifically state that the NEET rate (Not in Education, Employment or Training) for 18-24 year olds has fallen each year between 2013 and 2017, from 16.8% in 2013 to 12.9% in 2017, including a 0.5 percentage point fall between 2016 and 2017.

Alan Woods OBE, CEO of VTCT, said:

“It is absolutely imperative that all of us involved in the education and training of  young people  tackles youth unemployment and it simply isn’t good enough that more than 1 in 10 young people are classified today as not in education, employment or training (NEET). With a growing economy and falling unemployment, we cannot forget that there are 760,000 young people still out of a job or not in the education and training system.

“We know that vocational and technical  education, and specifically apprenticeships, as well as the many other advantages they bring to all learners, can also bridge that gap for young people who fall off the system and acts as a lifeline to bring them back in. We need a properly funded, holistic plan that upskills all of the UK’s potential workforce that challenges schools, colleges, private training providers and awarding bodies to remain inclusive for all learners, especially those with difficult circumstances, and champions young people into a career choice of their own which leads to a job.”

Dion McKenzie, UK Regional Director at JOLT said:

“These new statistics prove that more and more people are choosing to go on to higher education and interest in learning continues to increase.

“It is incredible that more people are in education and this is how JOLT sees the future of learning, like the saying goes ‘every day is a school day’. With programmes like JOLT, learning and education doesn’t end once we step off the graduation stage, and it offers additional options for people to continue their education well into their careers.”

Kirstie Mackey, Director of LifeSkills at Barclays said: “The latest NEET figures are encouraging, yet far too many young people are leaving education without a clear idea of what to expect from or how to cope with the ever-changing world of work. Not only does this prevent those individuals from achieving their potential, it’s also to the detriment of the wider UK economy to have a future workforce that isn’t prepared for the reality of working life.

“If we are to ensure that all young people have the right skills and attitude to succeed in a rewarding career, it’s vital that we give them the opportunity to develop these skills before they leave education.

“We need a curriculum that helps bridge the gap between education and the workplace, making it clear what businesses expect from their employees and offering work experience and practical sessions that help pupils to develop these crucial employability skills.”

Recent research from the Barclays LifeSkills report “How employable is the UK?”, found that:

• Just 6 per cent of teachers believe that their students leave education with the skills they need for employment (proactivity, adaptability, leadership, creativity, resilience, communication and problem solving)
• Nearly a quarter of educators (22 per cent) don’t think their institution is effective in developing employability skills for pupils
• This is despite the majority (79 per cent) of UK employers rating employability skills as important for the future success of their business in the next 10 years.