The NEU welcomes the opportunity to contribute to two inquiries into young people’s education, employment and training: one led by Alan Milburn and the other by the Work and Pensions Select Committee. We support the commitment to understanding and addressing the growing number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Our submissions highlight that rising NEET numbers stem from structural failures across education, health and wider social systems. Addressing this challenge must begin with tackling the root causes of disengagement from learning, including the multiple drivers of persistent absence. Current systems also fail to recognise and develop the full range of skills young people need due to a narrow curriculum and restrictive assessment model.
For all young people to have meaningful opportunities to learn and thrive, the government must ensure a broad, diverse, inclusive and relevant curriculum, supported by multi-modal assessment that allows young people to demonstrate their full range of skills and capabilities. This must be supported by action to address the social, emotional and mental health factors driving persistent absence, fully-funded, high-quality careers advice for all schools and investment in training to ensure genuinely inclusive workplaces.
To make reform a reality, the government must address the chronic underfunding of education, including tackling long-standing issues in staff recruitment and retention, as well as the wider social conditions affecting young people. Solutions must also meet the needs of local communities. NEU members, with their professional expertise, stand ready to contribute to the development and implementation of these essential reforms.
More information about the inquiries can be found at the links below:
Milburn review on youth and work
Work and pensions committee inquiry on tackling youth NEET crisis