Half a million ‘NEETS’ not looking for work or free apprenticeships

A report in today’s Daily mail reveals that half of young British ‘Neets’ are not even looking for work, according to damning international OECD study.

The estimated 500,000 young people who are not in education, employment or training – commonly known as Neets – appear to have simply given up looking for work, further education or free apprenticeship opportunities.

Many of Britains youth have ‘fallen under the radar’ not only due to their appallingly low levels of skills but also because they have abandoned hunting for jobs altogether, the report says.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned that Britain’s Neets have ‘lost touch and hope’, and find themselves ‘far from the labour market’.

The leading international think tank analysed labour force studies from across the world for the report.

The study shows that ‘a relatively high share’ of 15 to 29-year-old Neets in the UK were ‘inactive and not looking for a job’.

The figure stood at 56 per cent for this age group, and above the OECD average of 53.8 per cent, according to 2013 data.

One in four Neets in the UK had been unemployed for more than six months and faced ‘risks of skills erosion’ – they will lose touch with skills in the workplace and become unemployable over time.

The OECD analysed data from 22 countries which took part in a 2012 survey of adult skills.

The UK has the biggest gap in literacy and problem-solving skills between 16 to 29-year-old Neets and young employed people out of all the countries surveyed.

There was a 12.6 per cent difference in literacy between the two groups – double the OECD average of 6.5 per cent – and a 9.6 per cent gap in problem solving.

Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, said: ‘About half of UK Neets are inactive. They’ve lost touch and hope. They are a sizeable share in many countries, the UK included.’

On Britain, he said: ‘There is a high share of inactive Neets, a high share of Neets with poor skills, those without baseline qualifications and a big share of long-term unemployed Neets.

‘These people have given up [and] are not contributing to the UK economy. The longer people are in that situation the more of a liability they become to society.’

H added: ‘There’s a significant share of young people who’ve lost out in developing the most basic foundations. What we consider basic in numeracy skills is very, very basic: making simple calculations and predictions.

‘Many of these people spent years in school but haven’t obtained the foundations.’

Young British Neets can claim a range of benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance if they are aged over 18 and looking for work.

Even those who are not trying to find a job can generally apply for carer’s allowance, disability benefits and income support.

An OECD briefing document on the UK said: ‘Due to insufficient skills and preparation for the labour market, many youths are neither employed nor in education or training.

‘Policies should focus on helping the Neet, including those who have become disengaged, to renew with education or integrate into the labour market.’

‘Many of the Neets are far from the labour market not only due to their low skills but also because they are not looking for a job and thus may have fallen under the radar of education and labour market institutions.’

Office for National Statistics figures show there were 963,000 16 to 24-year-old Neets in the UK between October and December.

This represented around one in seven young people. More than half were classed as ‘economically inactive’ as they were either not looking for work or not available for it.

Under reforms to the system, teenagers have to stay in some form of education or training until they

are 17. This is rising to 18 starting with the year group that took their GCSEs last summer.

The Department for Education said: ‘Following years of stagnation in international education league tables, this Government’s relentless focus on standards is ensuring thousands more young people are able to read, write and add up.’

Colleges offering free apprenticeship courses with paid employment have to work hard to fill places, despite high levels of unemployment and school leavers not going on to higher education.

North London based approved provider, London Cactus College, currently has available places for range of fully funded apprenticeships and diploma courses in subjects such as Business Admin, Customer Service and Health and Social Care. Despite the fact that they offer paid employment arranged by the college they still have to advertise heavily and work hard to persuade youngsters to join the courses – which are free to the leaner.

If you are interested in finding out more about apprenticeship courses please email London Cactus College at admin@mycccollege.com.