1. Counting for nothing and going nowhere?
A brief history of young people who are now described as ‘NEET’
Investing in Europe’s Invisible Generation – young NEETs and the need for a coordinated approach: Launching the European Coalition for the rights of young NEETs
European Parliament, January 2017
Dr Howard Williamson CVO CBE FRSA FHEA
Professor of European Youth Policy
© University of South Wales

2. There’s always been young people who are ‘NEET’ – the 1950s – 1970s
Job-changing
Unrealistic aspirations
Ill-prepared for a new technological future
Not ‘matched’ to local labour market realities
Policy solution:
improved careers guidance
© University of South Wales

3. The start of structural youth unemployment – the 1970s
1973 Oil crisis
Segmented youth labour markets
Decline in apprenticeships and ‘youth’ jobs
Demand for ‘experience’
Policy solutions:
youth employment programme (YOP)
reform of educational curriculum
© University of South Wales

4. A youth training guarantee – the 1980s
Structural youth unemployment
Economic recession
Decline in industrial and working class jobs
Policy solution:
A new training initiative
A youth training scheme (YTS)
[first one year, then two years]
© University of South Wales

5. From ‘status zer0’ to ‘NEET’ – the 1990s
One in ten not participating in YTS
Removal of social security from 16/17 yr olds
No option of unemployment
Youth training ‘guarantee’
Residual group outside ETE?
Bridging allowances and the guarantee group
But then ‘status 0’ research (1993/1995)
Political dispute/debate over numbers
Status Zer0 become NEETs (1996)
Policy development
© University of South Wales

6. Policy development in the UK, then the world
Youth access initiative / Relaunch/New Start (1996)
Disaffected Children (1998)
Bridging the Gap (1999)
Blair’s Social Inclusion commitment
South Africa, Korea, Japan, Australia, Russia…….
EU Youth Guarantee
Broadening and Blurring the definition/category
© University of South Wales

7. ‘Tommy Butler’
Tommy Butler does not exist but everybody knows him or her: a ‘disengaged’ young person….. Have they really changed?
Born Age Life course
Born nearly 77 OK
Born nearly 67 probably OK
Born nearly 57 mixed
Born nearly 47 struggle
Born nearly 37 excluded
Born nearly 27 still don’t know
Born nearly 17 don’t yet know
© University of South Wales

8. Lifetime ‘NEETs’? The Milltown Boys Revisited born 1960
Three distinct groups:
Adapted and re-skilled: OK
Struggled along in the ‘old’ ways
Excluded:
Imprisoned, ill or dead
Alternative ways of living
Some mix of the two above
© University of South Wales

9. Critical questions for research & policy
Sub heading
Small body copy or bullet point layout, clear and concise messages.
Bullet one
Bullet two
Bullet three
Bullet four
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10. The nature of any ‘guarantee’ and perspectives towards it
Motivation
Meaning (less?)
(Ir)relevance
Conditionality
Trade-offs (implicit and explicit)
© University of South Wales

11. Stepping stones – youth work
The essentially confused, the temporarily sidetracked, the deeply alienated
Tailoring responses
Creating space for understanding
Creating bridges for progression
The principles of security management
A reverse ‘rooftile’ approach – overlapping support
© University of South Wales

12. A universal challenge Scale and differentiation
Causes and consequences
Barriers and Bridges
Classifying the NEETs (Eurofound 2016)
Long term youth unemployment (Eurofound 2017)
© University of South Wales

13. Conclusion Trust Listening Learning Time Patience Motivation to change
Acceptance of ‘relapse’
Proportionate and appropriate response
Stepping stones
Renewal of possibility
© University of South Wales