NEETs and youth employment, Ep3 of Unlocking Opportunities

Welcome to Episode 3 of Unlocking Opportunities, a new livestream season in partnership with FE News and NCFE. Episode 3 is exploring NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and Youth Employment.

The season is hosted by Michael Lemin from NCFE and Gavin O’Meara from FE News. Episode 3 has a focus on Youth Employment and NEETs and the guests are Lauren Mistry, Deputy CEO of Youth Employment UK and Dr Andrea Barry, Principal Economist at Youth Futures Foundation.

This episode is incredibly timely. This was on the morning of the latest NEET figures being released from ONS. Highlighting that that 13.2% of young people (16-24 years old) are NEET, 15.1% of young men are NEET!

Just last week, the latest overall ONS Labour market statistics highlight a persistent issue of youth unemployment, with over 13% of 16-24-year-olds outside of full-time education who are unemployed, and a further 20.3% economically inactive.

In this episode the panel debate some of the key issues and opportunities around NEETs and youth employment, including persistent youth unemployment, the need for accessible opportunities for young people, and recent policy changes and announcements. From the Youth Guarantee to the Growth and Skills Levy and how this will impact young people and particularly young people into employment and training. The panel also explore the recent budget and how the rise in minimum wage, particularly for young people and Apprentices will impact employment opportunities.

Check out the video below:

Here are the links to Episodes 1 and 2 from the Unlocking Opportunities Livestream:

Labour’s First 100 days (Ep1)

Curriculum and Assessment Review (Ep2)

In this six-part series, we will cover a range of topics centred around Labour’s commitment to “break down barriers to opportunity”. In its manifesto, the new government outlined an ambition to reform our childcare and education systems and make sure there’s no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain. Each 30-minute episode will have two hosts and two guests, focusing on the key issues and opportunities to allow the government to achieve its mission and help ensure learners and educators aren’t being left behind.