Government should view the army of Neets as a huge opportunity
While a lot of students will be celebrating their GCSE success there’s a whole army of young people that are not learning nor earning.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there was an increase in the number of so-called Neets aged 16 to 24 in the three months to June to 948,000, up from 923,000 in January to March.
The increase in the number of young people not in education, employment or training may be a disconcerting sign but it should also be viewed as an opportunity.
It is imperative that the number of Neets comes down and fast because the longer these young people are out of work or training, the harder it becomes for them to avoid a life of listlessness.
As Iona Ledwidge, chief executive of youth charity Resurgo, says: “Joblessness is a bottomless pit – the further you go into it, the harder it is to climb out.”
Quite often it is about simply helping young people find something that they are good at and helping them acquire the skills and qualifications necessary to succeed.
Those who do not thrive in a traditional educational environment should not be written off. There are plenty of alternative pathways that they should be signposted to, whether that be apprenticeships or even the increasing number of skills bootcamps for growing industries such as tech.
The prize on offer from getting these young people economically active is worth tens of billions of pounds and tax revenues that the Treasury can ill-afford to pass up on.
The Government should be doing all it can to help these Neets get on their bikes.