Youth Tracker newsletter

8/14/2019 Youth Tracker newsletter

1/12

Contents

AssessingtheDownturn 1

ExpertInsights 4

PaulGregg 4

DavidWilletts 5

CouncilsChallenged 6

TheThirdSectorsResponse 7PolicyNewsandAnalysis 8

NewResearch 9

ResearchandStatistics 10

Inbrief 12

Acknowledgements 12

Contactus 12

tracker ReportingonchallengesandsolutionsforyoungpeopleintheUK,duringrecessionandrecovery

YOUTHIssue1,Summer2009

WelcometothefirsteditionoftheYouthTrackeraquarterly

newsletterlookingathowBritainsyoungpeoplearefaringin

therecession,andwhatwecandotosupportthem.

YoungpeoplegrowingupinBritaintodayaremoretechnology-

literatethaneverbefore,andareexposedtoanincreasingly

globalisedworldwith,intheoryatleast,awealthof

opportunities.Butforthoselivinginourmostdisadvantaged

communitiesinparticular,findingapathtoasolidfuturecanbeverychallenging,especiallyinthesedifficulteconomictimes.

Theaimofthisnewsletterseries,therefore,istofocusonwhat

therecessionandtherecoverywhenitcomesmeanforthe

mostdisadvantagedyoungpeople,particularlythosenotin

employment,educationortraining.

Wehavegatherednewinsightsandopinionfromkeyacademics

andpolicyexperts,andprovidearound-upofnewresearch,

statisticsandnewsaboutwhatishappeningontheground.

Ofcourse,wewanttomakesurethattheYouthTrackerbecomesavaluableresourcefor

everyoneworkingwith

youngpeople,sopleaselet

usknowwhatyouthink

seethebackpageforhow

togetintouchwithus.

CareyOppenheim,

Co-director,ipprandShaks

Ghosh,ChiefExecutive,PrivateEquityFoundation

Downloadadditionalcopies

ofthisnewsletteratwww.ippr.org/youthtracker

TheInstituteforPublicPolicyResearchis

theUKsleadingprogressivethinktank,

producingcuttingedgeresearchand

innovativepolicyideasforajust,

democraticandsustainableworld.

www.ippr.org

ThePrivateEquityFoundation(PEF)was

setuptoempoweryoungpeopletoreach

theirfullpotential.Itdoesthisby

investingbothmoneyandexpertisefrom

theprivateequitycommunity,tohelp

excellentcharitiesachieveastep-change

intheirimpact.

www.privateequityfoundation.org


2/12

Althoughthepathofthisrecessionis

difficulttopredict,mostexpertsagreethatyoungpeoplearelikelytobehit

particularlyhard.Around28percentof

theincreaseinunemploymentsincethe

beginningof2008isaccountedforby

youngpeopleaged18to24,although

theyonlymakeupabout14percentof

theworking-agepopulation.

Officialstatisticsshowthat

unemploymentamong18to24year

oldsstoodat17percentinthethree

monthstoApril2009,with695,000

peopleinthisagegroupnowoutof

work.Thisrepresentsariseof185,000

sincethebeginningof2008.Therehas

beenasimilarriseinthenumberof

youngpeoplewhoarenotin

employment,educationortraining(so-

calledNEETs),withfurtherincreases

likelyastherecessioncontinues.

Thesedramaticrisesinunemployment

amongyoungpeopleareparticularly

concerningbecauseyouth

unemploymentintheUKhasremained

highoverthelast12yearswhile

unemploymentoverallwasrelatively

low.Whenemploymentlevelspeakedin

2005,justover10percentof18to24s

wereunemployed,comparedwithjust

under5percentofworking-ageadults.

Participationineducationortraining

among16to17yearoldsisatanall-

timehigh,butamong16and17yearsnotineducationortraining,

unemploymentisparticularlyhigh,at

nearly30percent.Theranksof

unemployedyoutharelikelyseea

furtherinfluxoverthesummeraslarge

numbersofyoungpeopleleavefull-

timeeducation.

Extrarisk

Youngpeopletendtosuffermorethanotherworkersinarecessionbecauseas

demandforproductsfalls,companies

firstreactionisoftentostophiringnew

staff.Thismakesitmoredifficultfor

school-leaversandgraduatestofinda

job.Asurveycarriedoutbythe

CharteredInstituteforPersonneland

DevelopmentinMayfoundthathalfof

employerswerenotplanningtorecruit

anyschoolleaversorgraduatesthissummer.

Meanwhile,thoseyoungpeoplewhoareinworkfindthattheirrelative

inexperienceandlow-levelskillsput

themfirstinthefiringlinewhen

employersneedtomakecutbacks.It

alsobecomesmoreriskyforemployers

totakeonyoungpeoplewholacka

provenworkrecordwhenexperienced

olderworkersarequeuinguptotake

newvacancies.

TheGovernmentexpectstheeconomytobegrowingagainbythe

endofthisyear,butmostexperts

thinkarecoverywillbedelayeduntil

2010.However,thereisno

disagreementthatunemploymentwill

continuetoriseandthereisabroad

consensusthatitwillpeakataround3

millioncloseto10percentofthe

labourforce atsomepointin2010,

upfrom2.26millioninthethreemonthstoApril2009.

2 YOUTHTRACKERIssue1,Summer2009 | ippr | PrivateEquityFoundation

Webeginthisfirstedition

ofYouthTrackerwithan

in-depthassessmentofwhat

the recessionmeansfor

Britainsyoungpeople

Youngpeoplefindthattheirrelativeinexperienceandlowlevelofskillsputthemfirstinthefiringlinewhenemployersneedtomakecutbacks

AssessingtheDownturn


3/12

Thisisbadnewsforyoungpeople.

TonyDolphin,SeniorEconomistatippr,

predictsthatunemploymentamong

thoseaged16to24willincreasefrom

888,000inthethreemonthstoApril

2009toapeakof1.1millionin2010.

Atthispoint,theunemploymentrate

forthoseaged16to17couldbeas

highas33percent,whilefor1824

yearoldstheratewillbeabove20per

cent.

Thelong-termeffectsofyouth

unemploymentarewell-documented.

Peoplewhoexperiencelongdurationsofunemploymentintheiryouthstill

havesizeablewagepenaltiesintheir

forties,saysPaulGregg,Professorof

EconomicsattheUniversityofBristol.

Seepage4foran interviewwith

ProfessorGregg.

Withthisinmind,theGovernment

announcedamajorjobcreation

programmeinthisyearsBudgetto

makesurethateveryyoungpersonwhohasbeenoutofworkformore

than12monthshasaccesstoajobor

training.Doneproperly,thiskindof

programmecouldhelptoreducethe

impactofyouthunemployment,but

questionsremainabouthowthe

schemewillwork.Turntopage8fora

moredetailedlookatthe FutureJobs

Fund.

Backtoschool

Youngpeopleareclearlyawareofwhat

ishappeninginthejobsmarket,and

manyareoptingtostayonin

educationratherthanfaceadispiriting

searchforwork.

AccordingtoUCAS,thebody

responsibleforuniversityapplications,

therehasbeenan8percentrisein

applicationscomparedwithlastyear.FurtherEducationcollegeshaveseena

similarriseinapplicants.Scotlands

CollegesPrincipalsConventionestimates

thatapplicationshaverisenbyathird

acrosstheboard,withdemandforplaces

doublinginsomecolleges.

Ineffect,therecessioncouldmean

thattheGovernmentsplantoraisethe

participationageinEnglandto18

happenssoonerthanintended.This

mightevenbeonepositiveside-effectof

thedownturn.TheGovernmenthas

announcedextrafundingtoensurethat

every16and17yearoldhasaplacein

educationortraining.However,questionsremainaboutthecapacityof

theeducationsystemtoabsorblarge

numbersofadditionalstudents.

TheGovernmenthasalsoimposeda

caponuniversityplacesforthenext

academicyear,whichcouldmeanthat

around80,000would-bestudentsmiss

outonaplace.Thecontroversialcapis

partlyaresultofTreasuryfearsaboutthe

costsoffundingtheextrademandcreatedbytherecession.Butitcould

meanthatwell-qualifiedyoungpeople

whowouldratherbestayingonin

educationareforcedtolookforwork,

potentiallyout-competinglessable

youngpeopleforwhomworkistheonly

option.

Notjustjobsandcourses

Itmakessensetochannelresourcestowardsgettingasmanyyoungpeople

aspossibleintowork,educationor

training.Butindoingso,thereisa

dangerthatthemostdisengagedyoung

people,forwhomre-engagingin

employmentoreducationisnota

realisticprospectintheshortterm,get

sidelinedandbecomeevenmore

excluded.

Asanumberofcharities makeclearinourarticleonpage7,therecession

addsextrariskstoattemptsto

re-engagevulnerableyoungpeople.

Fiercecompetitionforjobswillmakeit

verydifficultforyoungpeople

completingbasiccoursesliketheEntry

toEmployment(E2E)programmeto

takethenextstepintowork.As

ProfessorMalcolmPayne,Headofthe

YouthAffairsUnitatDeMontfort

University,says,althoughthereare

fairlyrobustsystemsinplaceinorder

topickupandrespondtoyoung

people,thequestionthenbecomes,

whatcanthosesystemsoffer?Ifthecurrentjobsmarketmeanstheycannot

offerverymuch,thenthereisariskof

creatingfurtherdisillusionmentamong

youngpeople.

Thechallengeistocombine

large-scaleemploymentandtraining

programmesforthemajoritywith

specialistsupportforthemost

vulnerableyoungpeoplethatdoesnot

necessarilyhingeongettingthemintoworkortraining.Yet,asour

Respondingtorecessionfeatureon

pages68demonstrates,thiscanbe

difficultwhenfundingforyouth

servicesandre-engagement

programmesareunderpressure.

Itisalsoworthconsideringthewider

impactsofrecessionandeconomic

uncertaintyonyoungpeople.

Althoughthefocusisoften,rightly,onworkandeducation,theeffectsof

parentalunemployment,lowincome,

familybreakdown,anxietyandstress,

couldalltaketheirtollonthemental

healthandwell-beingofyoung

people.Thisisafurtherjustification

forinvestmentinholisticservicesto

supportyoungpeople,alongside

trainingandjobcreationschemes,to

ensurethatthisrecessiondoesnotcreatealostgeneration.

3YOUTHTRACKERIssue1,Summer2009 | ippr | PrivateEquityFoundation


4/12

Learningfrompast

recessions

KayteLawton:Whatdoes

theevidencefromprevious

recessionstellusaboutthe

long-termeffectsof

unemployment,particularlyforyoungpeople?

PaulGregg:Ifyoulose

yourjobduringa

recession,whenyoustart

workagain,youwillhavealowerwage.

Thatlowerwageismadeupoftwo

elements:

oneistheinitialimpactoflosing

yourjob,andtheotheristhelongeryoureoutofwork,theloweryour

wagesarewhenyoueventuallystart

workingagain.

Nowtheinterestingthingaboutthat

isthattheimpacteffecttendsto

recover,sotwotothreeyearslater

youveclawedbacktheinitiallossin

wages.Butthedurationeffectthe

effectofbeingoutofworkforalonger

periodoftimethatisthescarringeffect.Wagesdonottendtorecover

forpeoplewhohavebeenoutofwork

forarelativelylongperiodoftime.Withyoungpeople,thosethat

experiencelongdurationsof

unemploymentintheiryouthstillhave

sizeablewagepenaltiesintheirforties.

Thisisoneoftheargumentsfortrying

toavoidlong-termunemployment.

KL: WhatshouldtheGovernmentbe

doingtomaintainemploymentlevels,

particularlyinthecaseofyoungpeople?

PG:Therehasbeenalotofdiscussion

abouttheideaofajobsguarantee.

Thisisnotbrand

new,peoplehave

doneitbeforeand

wevegottolearn

thelessonsof

whatdidanddidntwork.

Youngpeoplewhoexperience

longdurationsofunemploymentintheir

youthstillhavesizeablewagepenaltiesintheirforties

Firstly,youneedtohaveaperiodof

intensivejobsearchactivitybeforethe

periodofworkexperiencekicksin,

whichseemstobeintheFlexibleNew

Deal,sothatsprettywellthere.

Secondly,theworkneedstobepart-

time,sotheindividualhastimetodojobsearchanddealwiththeir

underlyingproblems,alongsidethe

workexperience.Butparticularlywithyoungpeople

aged16or17,thefirstthingyouwant

themtobedoingisnotleavingschool

youwantthemtobeineducation

doingseriousqualificationswhichlead

tolong-termemployment.Soyouwant

themtobedoingtheLevel3

ApprenticeshipsandA-Levelsand

equivalentGNVQs,andsoon.

KL: Somepeoplearesayingthatthe

Governmentshouldbringforwardits

planstoraisetheparticipationage,but

thenthereisaconcernthattheright

provisionisntinplaceyet.Wheredo

youstandonthatissue?

PG: Idontthinkwecandoitquickly

enough.Buttherearethingsthatwe

candonow.Firmswilllayapprenticesoffduringarecessionsoweneedtoget

peopletostayintheapprenticeshipbut

basedatFE[FurtherEducation]colleges

untilanewemployercanbefound.

[Thisisnowanoptionformany

apprentices.]Youcouldalsoperhaps

increasetheEducationMaintenance

Allowancefromthisautumn,andmake

itavailabletopeopledoingvocational

coursesaswell.Ialsothinkthewhole16and17year

oldpictureatthemomentintermsof

benefitsisamess.Therearevarious

fall-backbenefitswhichtheycanget

insteadofJSA[JobseekersAllowance]

buttheresnofocuswithinthose

benefitsonwherethepersonisgoing.

Whatweneedisaneducationand

trainingallowanceforyoungpeople

whichworksinasimilarwaytoJSA,butwiththefocusonlookingforand


EXPERTINSIGHTS

Previousrecessionscanhelp

ustounderstandhowthe

currentdownturnmight

affectyoungpeople.ippr

ResearchFellowKayteLawton talkstoPaulGregg,ProfessorofEconomicsatBristolUniversity,about

lessonsfromthepastand

prospectsforthefuture


5/12


movingintofull-timeeducation,rather

thanmovingintowork.

Forthe18-plusgroupofNEETs,

withinthejobsguaranteeidea,itis

rightthatthereisaneducationor

trainingoption,aswellasawork

option.Thisisparticularlythecase

wheretheyoungpersonhasarecordof

loweducationalachievementsofar,

whichisabigpredictoroflater

employment.

Alongerversionofthisinterviewis

availableatwww.ippr.org/youthtracker

ProfessorGreggisalabourmarket

expertwhohasadvisedgovernmenton

welfarereformaswellaswriting

extensivelyonyouthemployment.

Conservativethinking

Thereisawealthoftalent

andpotentialinouryoung

peopletoday.WheneverI

visitcolleges,universitiesand

trainingfacilities,Iamstruck

bythecreativityandhard

workofsomanystudentsand

apprentices.Buttoomanyare

leftbehindandwearein

dangeroflettingawhole

generationfallvictimtotherecession.

Attheendoflastyear,therewere

860,00016to24yearoldsinEngland

notineducation,employmentor

training.Oneineightyoungpeople

wasNEETatthestartofthedecade;

thatratioisnowoneinseven.

Internationalcomparisonsshowthatas

othercountriesbroughtdowntheir

NEETrateintheboomyears,the

numberswereincreasinghere.Perhaps

mostshockingly,wearealowly

twenty-fifthoutoftwenty-nineinthe

OECDleaguetableforNEETs.

AnilluminatingstudybyRathbone

andtheNuffieldFoundationfound

thatmostyoungpeoplewhoareNEET

haveremarkablynormalaspirations:

toowntheirownhome,findasecure

jobanddriveanicecar.Yetthesame

groupstruggletoidentifythepathways

toachievingthoseaspirations.Thestudyconcluded:theissueisperhaps

lessaboutraisingaspirations,andmore

aboutprovidingthemeanstorealise

existingaspirations.Thishasdeep

implicationsforpolicymakers.

Aprimaryroleforthenew

DepartmentforBusiness,Innovation

andSkillsshouldbetooversee

transitionsfromchildhoodto

adulthoodfromschooltofurthereducationand

ultimately

employment.

Thismeans

creatinga

streamlined

Further

Education

Funding

Council,allowingFE

collegesto

respondtolocalneeds

andlettinginvoluntaryandprivate

providers.Anditmeansproviding

independent,professionalcareers

advicetoeverysecondaryschoolpupil,

distinctfromtheexistingConnexions

mish-mash.

ToomanypupilsaregivennoguidanceonhowGCSEandA-Level

choicescouldaffecttheirfutures.Many

willnotevenconsidertheoptionof

universitysimplybecausetheirparents

didntgo,ortheydontknowanyone

likethemwhohasgonetouniversity.

Thedeclineinqualityofcareersadvice

sincetheestablishmentofConnexions

hasbeenacalamityanditwillbea

priorityofourstoputthatright.

OneofRathboneandNuffieldskey

findingssuggestedthatmanyNEETs

weresodisillusionedbytheirschool

experiencethattheywouldonlybere-

engagedoutsideaclassroomenvironment.TheConservativeshave

explainedhowwewillsetaside100

millionfromtheTraintoGainbudgetto

fundlearningopportunitiesdesigned

specificallytoappealtoNEETs.

WeneedastreamlinedFurtherEducationFundingCouncilthatallowsFEcollegestorespondtolocalneedsandletsinvoluntaryandprivateproviders

Ourotherproposalsincludeabig

expansioninapprenticeshipsandan

apprenticeshipclearing-housetomake

sureapprenticesdonotbecomeNEETsiftheiremployersgooutofbusiness.

ThehugeNEETproblemisoneofthe

mosttragiclegaciesofthisLabour

Government.Thecombinedeffectof

ourpolicieswouldbetoofferthe

practicalhelpyoungpeopleneednow

morethanever.

DavidWillettsisConservativeMP

forHavantandShadowSecretaryforUniversitiesandSkills.

DavidWillettsMPdescribes

howtheConservativeswouldaddresstheNEETsissue


6/12

Beaconcouncils

TheBeaconSchemewasestablishedto

rewardandsharebestpracticeinservice

deliveryacrosslocalgovernment.

CouncilsareawardedBeaconstatusin

tendifferentthemesbydemonstratinga

clearvision,excellentservicesanda

desiretoinnovate.

ThecouncilsofSheffield,Cumbriaand

WolverhamptonwereawardedBeacon

statusundertheBetterBrighterFuturesthemelastyear.Thistheme

focusesonthe1419agenda,

withanemphasisonraising

participationandthequalityof

outcomes.

FortheBetterBrighterFutures

Beacons,itistooearlytoknow

whatthepreciseimpactofthe

recessionwillbe.Wehavenotfelt

anythingyetreallyandwedonotexpecttountilthecurrentcohortin

[school]Year11leaves.IthasbeenOK

sofar,butitstooearlytosay,says

AdrienneCarmichael,CountyManager

forContinuousLearningatCumbria

CountyCouncil.Shereflectsthe

uncertaintyoverhowpost-16routes

mightchangeoverthenextfewmonths.

Itsallanecdotalatthemoment,

saysJohnPrice,DeputyHeadof1419LearningatWolverhampton

Council.Weareexpectingissuesto

arisebutwehavenotfeltanything

directlyatthemoment.

Nevertheless,theBeaconcouncils

arebracingthemselvesfornew

challenges,particularlyfortheNEET

group.IcannotseehowtheNEET

problemcannotgrow.Thetypesof

learningprogressionthatareattractive

totheNEETclienteleisgoingtorelyonemployment,andifthatisnot

there,thechancesaretheywill

becomeNEET,despitetheirownbest

efforts,saysPrice.Icanseealotof

frustrationandtheymayfeelcheated,

headds.

Buildingonexistingstrengths

Wolverhamptonplanstobuildonits

currentwork.Wehaveastrategythat

worksandwehavekidsengaged.The


CouncilschallengedHowareorganisations

workingontheground

tacklingthechallengesthrown

upbytherecession?Here,

threelocalcouncilsleading

effortstoreducethenumber

ofNEETyoungpeopletell

theirstories

CumbriaCountyCouncil

CumbriahasadoptedtheinnovativeuseofICTasawayofovercomingsomeofthechallengesofdeliveringhighqualityservicesinasparselypopulatedarea.ThecouncildevelopedanelectronicIndividualLearningPlantohelpyoungpeopleplan

transitionsafterage16,andemployedanumberofoutreachworkerstoworkwithyoungpeoplewhohaddifficultiesaccessingservices.

SheffieldCityCouncil

OfficialsinSheffieldhavefocusedonworkingwithlocalemployers,andhelpingtobuildrelationshipsbetweencolleges,schoolsandbusiness.Thishashelpedtoimprovetherangeofvocationallearningoptionsavailableforyoungpeople,andtoensurethatlearningopportunitiesarecloselylinkedtothekindsofjobsthatarelikelytobeavailablelocally.

WolverhamptonCityCouncilWolverhamptonhaspioneeredcollaborationsbetweenschoolsandthirdsectorproviders,whichenablethemtoprovideatailored,non-classroombasedservicetoyoungpeopleatriskofbecomingNEETat16.Thecouncilalsoworkedwithlocallearningproviderstodevelopachartertoensurethateveryyoungpersonhasaccesstoappropriate,high-quality,14-19learningopportunities.

BetterBrighterFutures


7/12


8/12

workwiththem.Ifthereisincreasing

pressureonthefrontlinestaffwho

havetodealwiththeseyoungpeople,

thepotentialisforthosestafftobe

prettydespairingbecausetheyknow

thereisnotreallyverymuchtheycan

offer,hesays.

Findingawaythrough

Inresponsetofundingpressuresfrom

localcouncilsandotherfunders,the

charitieswespoketowereclearly

focusingonoperationalexcellenceand

valueformoney.Butmanywere

concernedthatfinancialpressureswould

addtofundersreluctancetoinvestin

softoutcomeslikeimprovementsin

confidenceandwell-being.Thesedays

funderswantmorefortheirmoneyand

thisleadstoafocusonhardoutcomes,

whichifyouareworkingwithharderto

reachNEETyoungpeopleareharderto

achieveinashorttimeframe,says

CarolJackson,1319YouthProject

DeveloperatCommunityLinks.

Fundraisingisalsoakeyissueatthe

momentandthecharitieswespoketo

wereallkeentoreducetheirreliance

onasinglefundingstream.Weare

awareofwhatisgoingoninthe

outsideworldandhaveafundraising

strategytomakesurethatwearenot

relyingtoomuchononeortwosources,saysKatyHaighatVital

Regeneration.

Inevitably,therewillberedundancies

andcutsinservices,justwhenextra

servicesareneededmost.Andrew

PurvisofFairbridgesays:Wewantto

begrowingasanorganisation,to

reflectthefactthatourservicesareso

badlyneeded.Ourbusinessplanhada

growthtrajectorybutforthenextthreeyearsorsowearegoingtobeflat-

liningandhopefullynotshrinking.

BudgetReport2009ajobortrainingforeveryyoungperson

TheFutureJobsFund,whichprovides

aguaranteeofajobortrainingplacefor

all18to24yearoldswhohavebeen

claimingJobSeekersAllowancefor12

months,wasthecentrepieceoftheApril

Budget.Placementswillbepart-time

andlastforatleastsixmonths,withthe

Governmentinvesting1.4billioninthe

programmeovertwoyearstocreate

150,000jobs.Participationisnot

mandatorybutitmaybemadesointhe

future.

Responsibilityfordeliveringthe

programmewillrestwithlocal

authorities,workinginpartnershipwith

thethirdsector.Initially,theGovernment

wantedschemestogoliveinOctober

2009,butthatdeadlineisnowlooking

doubtful:itplanstoannouncethe

winningschemesinearlyautumn,

meaningtherewillnotbeenoughtime

forprogrammestobeupandrunningin

October.

Therearealsoconcernsaboutthelack

ofincentivesforproviderstohelpyoung

peoplefindworkwhiletheyareonthe

scheme.Thejobswillbepart-time,

givingparticipantsthechancetojob-

searchwhiletheyareontheprogramme.

Butwithoutproperincentivesto

encourageproviderstohelpthemfinda

longertermjob,youngpeoplecouldfind

themselvesre-joiningthedolequeue

whenthesix-monthprogrammeends.

Seewww.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/

futurejobsfund/index.aspformore.

TheChancelloralsoannounced50,000

subsidedtraineeshipsforunemployed

youngpeopletoworkinthecaresector.

JobcentrePluswillreceive1.7billionin

additionalfundingtohelpitcopewith

additionaldemandforitsservicesasa

resultoftherecession.

Newminimumwageratesandwhattheymeanforyoungpeople

InMay,theGovernmentannounced

thattheNationalMinimumWagefor

youngpeopleaged18to21willriseto

4.83anhourinOctober2009,up6p

onlastyearsfigure.Theratefor16to

17yearoldswillriseby5pto3.57an

hourandtheadultrateby6pto5.80.

Thesesmallrisescomeafterrelatively

generousincreasesinpreviousyears

andreflecttheincreasinglygloomy

economicoutlook.TheGovernment

alsoagreedtoextendtheadultrateto

all21yearoldsfromOctober2010,and

tofurtherinvestigatethecasefora

minimumwageforapprentices.

Thesechangeswerebasedon

recommendationsfromtheLowPay

Commission,whichalsocarriesout

researcheachyearintohowthe

minimumwageisworking.

TheCommissionisparticularly

concernedabouttheimpactofthe

minimumwageonyoungpeoples

decisionsaboutworkandeducation.It

hasfoundthatthereisnoevidence

thattheminimumwagehashada

detrimentaleffectonyoungpeoples

participationinfull-timeeducation,or

thatithasreducedemployment

opportunitiesforyoungpeople.

Thefullreportisavailableat

www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pd

f/7997-BERR-Low%20Pay%20

Commission-WEB.pdf


POLICYNEWS&ANALYSIS


9/12


NewResearch

AStitchinTime:TacklingeducationaldisengagementDemos,May2009,SoniaSodhaandSilviaGuglielmi

Lookingatthecausesofpost-16exclusion,thisreportfocusesparticularlyonthe

educationsystem.Theauthorsarguethathavinganegativeexperienceof

mainstreameducationistheprimarycauseofayoungpersonbecomingNEET,

andthattheGovernmentsfailuretorecognisethishasledtotoomanytop-

down,ineffectivepolicies.

Thereportmakesanumberofrecommendationsabouthowtobuildcore

academicskillsandsocialandemotionalcompetence,aswellasincreasingyoung

peoplesaspirationsandengagingtheirparents.Itadvocatesanational,targetedliteracyandnumeracyprogrammecomplementedbyarangeoflocally-based

initiatives,developedanddeliveredbylocalcharitiesandeducationauthorities.

Italsorecommendswaystoimprovetheimplementationofnationalpolicy

initiativesatthelocallevel,suchasthroughbettercommissioningprocesses.The

authorsareparticularlyconcernedabouttheconceptofscalingupsuccessful

localinitiatives,astheevidencesuggeststhatbestpracticeoftengetslostalong

theway.

www.demos.co.uk/publications/a-stitch-in-time-tackling-educational-disengagement

EducationforAll:Thefutureofeducationandtrainingfor14-19yearolds

NuffieldReviewof14-19EducationandTraining,June2009,RichardPringetal

Thisreportistheculminationofamajorsix-yearinquiryintothefutureof1419

learninginEnglandandWales.Theauthorsvisionfor1419educationisthatit

providesyoungpeoplewiththeknowledgeandunderstandingtogetoninlife,

thecompetencetomakedecisionsaboutthefuture,andamoralseriousnessto

shapetheirchoices.

TheReviewfoundthatthecomplexityoftheEnglisheducationsystemincontrasttothesimplersysteminWales makesitdifficulttomeettheneedsofall

youngpeopleandpromotescompetitionamongproviders.Furthermore,those

whoaremostinneed youngpeopleintheNEETgroupgettheleast

investment,withfundingbeingmainlyshort-termandproject-based.

Thereportrecommendsastreamliningofinstitutionsandfundingtosimplify

thesystemandencouragedifferentagenciestoworktogether.Thirdsector

organisationsandyouthservicesneedpredictable,long-termfundingtosupport

youngpeopleoutsidemainstreameducation.Theauthorsalsoarguefortighter

controlsonapprenticeshipssothattheyarerecognisedasprovidingthehighest

qualitytrainingopportunities.

www.nuffield14-19review.org.uk/cgi/documents/documents.cgi?a=206&t=template.htm

IncreasingParticipation:

Understandingyoungpeopleaged16

and17whodonotparticipatein

educationortraining

(Dept.forChildren,Schoolsand

Families,January2009)

Basedoninterviewswithyoungpeople,

thisDCSFreporttriestounderstand

why1617sareeitherNEETorinajob

withnotraining,andhowtheycanbe

re-engaged.www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfile

s/DCSF-RR072.pdf

EngagingYoungPeople:Local

authorityyouthwork200508

(Ofsted,March2009)

Thisreportpresentsevidencefrom

inspectionsof100youthserviceprovidersfrom2005to2008.It

identifiesanoverallimprovementin

levelsofserviceprovisionbut

concludesthatthereismuchroomfor

improvement.www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-

home/Publications-and-research/Browse-a

ll-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-

reports/Engaging-young-people-local-aut

hority-youth-work-2005-08

ProgressionThroughApprenticeships:ThefinalreportoftheSkills

CommissionsInquiryinto

apprenticeships(March2009)

Thismajorinquiryraisesconcerns

abouttheeffectofrecessionandthe

Governmentsfocuson1419

Diplomas,whichmayleadtoless

investmentinapprenticeships.Italso

highlightstheneedformorefunding

for1925apprenticeships.

www.policyconnect.org.uk/docs/content/pc_apprenticeship_report-0.pdf

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NEETStatisticsQuarterlyBrief(Englandonly)

DepartmentforChildren,SchoolsandFamilies,June2009

ThisisthesecondstatisticalreleaseonNEETyoungpeoplefromDCSFinJune,and

providesasummaryofalltheofficialdatasourcesonNEETs.UnliketheFirstRelease

describedabove,thisQuarterlyBriefprovidesdataon1624yearoldsandshows

thatthenumberofNEETyoungpeopleinthisagegrouproseto935,000inEnglandinthefirstquarterof2009.Thisrepresentsanincreaseof125,000comparedto

thesamequarterlastyear,andmeansthat15.6percentof1624yearoldsare

NEET,comparedwith13.6percentayearago.DavidWillets,theConservative

shadowministerforuniversitiesandskills,describedthissignificantriseasshocking

evidencethatyoungpeopleareindeedthevictimsofLaboursrecession.

DataonNEETstendtofollowapatternthatreflectstheacademicyear,sowecan

expecttoseefurtherrisesintheirnumberswhendataforsummerandautumn

becomeavailable.Apeakislikelyinthethirdquarter(JulytoSeptember),andthe

numbercouldclimbabove1million.TheQuarterlyBriefalsoshowsthatthe

majorityofNEETyoungpeoplenearly90percentareaged18to24,withrelativelysmallnumbersof16and17yearoldNEETs.

www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000751/NEETQuarterlyBriefQ12009.pdf

ParticipationinEducation,TrainingandEmploymentby16-18yearoldsinEngland:Firstrelease

DepartmentforChildren,SchoolsandFamilies,June2009

NewfiguresfromtheDCSFshowanincreaseinthenumberofNEET1618year

olds.TheproportionofyoungpeoplewhoareNEETinEnglandrosefrom9.7

percentattheendof2007to10.3percentattheendof2008.Therearenow

around208,000NEET16 18yearoldsinEngland,overhalfofwhomareaged

18.Infact,18yearoldsweretheonlyagegrouptoseeincreasesintheNEET

population,withsmallfallsamong16and17yearolds.Thissuggeststhat18

yearoldsarefacingparticularchallengeswhentheyleavefull-timeeducation.

Despitethisrise,theproportionof1618yearoldsineducationandtraining

hasreachedarecordhigh,increasingfrom78percentin2007to79.7percentat

theendof2008.ThisindicatesthattheincreaseintheNEETpopulationhasbeen

causedbyariseinthenumberofyoungpeopleunabletofindwork,and

highlightstheearlyeffectsoftherecessiononyouthemployment.Thelonger

termtrendamong1618yearoldsshowsanincreaseinparticipationinfull-time

educationoverthelastdecade,coupledwithafallintheproportionofyoung

peopleinwork-basedlearning.TheproportionofyoungpeoplewhoareNEEThas

remainedbroadlystable,atbetween8and10percent,overthelasttenyears.

www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000849/SFR12_2009.pdf

StoriesofEarlySchoolLeaving:

Pointersforpolicyandpractice

(BrotherhoodofStLaurence,April

2009)

ThisAustralianpublicationfollows

eightyoungpeoplewholeftschool

early,tounderstandtheimpactthat

hadontheirlaterlives.Theauthors

lookatwaysofimprovingthe

experienceofschool,bettersupportforat-riskyoungpeopleandamore

youth-centredapproachamong

welfaretoworkproviders.

www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/Taylor_stories_of

_early_school_leaving.pdf

MonitoringPovertyandSocial

ExclusioninWales2009(Joseph

RowntreeFoundation,June2009)

TheJRFpresentsevidenceinthisnew

reporttoshowthatnearlyhalfofallunemployedpeopleinWalesareunder

theageof25,showingthe

disproportionateeffectofthe

recessiononyoungpeople.Thereport

alsoidentifiesapatternofincreasing

childpovertyinWales,atrendthatis

occuringintherestoftheUK,too.

www.jrf.org.uk/publications/monitorin

g-poverty-wales-2009

Forthcoming

TeenagersHealth:Whatshouldbe

done?(4Children,July2009)

4Childrenhasrecentlycarriedouta

seriesofMakeSpaceforHealthpilots

withyoungpeoplethatidentified

healthissuesincludingobesity,body

imageandsexualandmentalhealthas

beingmajorconcernsforthem.This

reportisbasedonthefindingsfrom

thosepilots,whichdeliverintegrated

healthsupportthroughyouthservicesandcentres.Itwillbepublishedon1

July2009.

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YouthTracker:Acknowledgements| Contactus

ipprandPEFwouldliketothankthefollowingpeoplefortheir

contributionstothisnewsletter:KayteLawton,AdrianBua(researchand

writing);DaliaBen-Galim;GeorginaKyriacou(editinganddesign);Carey

OppenheimandSophieLivingstone.Wewouldalsoliketothankeveryone

weinterviewedforthispublication.

Ifyouwouldliketodiscussmakingacontributiontothenextissue,or

haveanyothercommentsorsuggestions,pleasecontactKayteLawtonon

02074706169/[email protected]

StayingOn:Makingtheextrayearsin

educationcountforallyoungpeople

(EqualityandHumanRights

Commission,June2009)

Addressingthebarrierstoremainingin

post-16education,thisreportfoundthat

socialclassandgendercontinuetohave

amajorinfluenceonyoungpeoples

careeraspirations.TheCommissionwill

beexploringtheimplicationsforprovidingimpartial,high-qualitycareersadvice,

andmakingsomewiderrecommendations

togovernmenttoimprovetheoptions

availabletoyoungpeople.

www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploade

d_files/ehrc_education_60pp.pdf

TowardsaPopular,PreventativeYouth

JusticeSystem(ippr,June2009)

Moreandmoreyoungpeoplehavebeendrawnintotheyouthjustice

systemoverthelast10years,with

littlereductioninoffendingand

reoffendingrates.Thisreportmakes

thecaseforanEnglishyouthjusticesystemwhichispreventative,tiered

anddiversionary,buildingonwork

alreadyunderwayinScotland.This

shouldbecoupledwithincreased

effortstodemonstratethebenefitsof

thisapproachtothepublic.

www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsand

reports/publication.asp?id=673

TheLocalGovernmentAssociationis

launchingaprogrammeofwork

highlightingthechallengesandsuccessesinworkingwithyoung

peoplenotengagedineducation,

trainingoremploymentforlocal

authorities.Theprojectwillinclude

policyanalysis,anexaminationofthe

issuessurroundingthecurrentNEET

group,opportunitiesforstakeholders

tosharetheirperspectivesand

examplesofbestpracticefromacross

EnglandandWales.Formoreinformationcontact:

[email protected]

inbrief...

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