The scheme is targeted at the estimated 6,590 16-17-year-old NEETs in the East of England and is part of Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg’s Youth Contract.
Today the charities and businesses that will provide the service in the East of England were announced. They have had to show a track-record in getting young people into education, apprenticeships, training or work with training and will be paid by results.
The programme, to take place over the next three years, will focus on at least 55,000 16-17 year old NEETs with no GCSEs at A* to C, who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.
Commenting, Julian Huppert MP said:
“Sitting at home with little to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for a very long time. It is a tragedy for the young people involved and a ticking time bomb for the economy and society as a whole.
“Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are doing the right thing by supporting young people in our region who have had difficulty finding a job or training and are at risk of becoming damagingly disengaged.
“Today’s announcement will ensure they receive personal, targeted support from experts to help them develop the confidence and skills that the need to stay in education or find a job.
“Youth unemployment is a slow burn social disaster so it’s right that although money is tight, the Coalition Government is prioritising investment on NEETS as part of the Youth Contract so our children can get the necessary skills for a lifetime of work by earning or learning.”
Commenting further, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said:
“Young people who have fallen through the net need tailored support to get back on track. We can’t treat them like round pegs being forced into square holes – if you’re young and have got to the point where you feel on the scrapheap, you need extra help to succeed in life.
“Disengaged young people often have complex problems that act as a barrier to getting them learning again, which the Government alone can’t deal with. But very often local charities and businesses know what’s going to help them.
“That’s why we’re unlocking funding for these organisations to be as creative and innovative as they can, to do whatever it takes, to get the young people who need it most back on their feet. In exchange for this freedom, all we ask is that they get results. It’s a win-win for young people and the organisations involved.”
More information:
- In the East of England, The Consultancy Home Counties Ltd will deliver the NEETs scheme. They will offer a wide range of services and provision, including an intensive mentoring support service that will engage with young people, conduct initial assessments of their needs and prepare an action plan indicating what tailored support they need to help re-engage them back into education, employment or training. It is likely that the young person will have major barriers to sustaining engagement, so will need the ongoing support provided by their mentor who will stay with them throughout the programme.
- Additional support offered will include:
• advice on how to deal with practical barriers (e.g. debt, accommodation, benefits, etc);
• counselling to overcome psycho-social barriers (e.g. physical and mental health, sexual health, addiction, family planning, care and family welfare etc);
• attitudinal and anger management support; and
• sustainable career choices including work tasters and work experience. - Organisations will receive an initial payment for taking young people on, but will only receive subsequent payments when they show progress, such as getting young people to engage with training programmes or undertake apprenticeships. The contracts on offer are worth up to £2,200 for every young person helped, with the full amount payable only if a young person is still in full-time education, training or work with training six months after re-engaging.
- To tackle youth unemployment, the £1bn Youth Contract started in April 2012 and will give every young person the chance to earn or learn before long-term damage is done:
- The Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24-year-olds into work over the next three years. This includes 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.
- A new programme to will help 16 and 17-year olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). This will help the most disengaged of young people to get back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.
- In addition, there will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices in England.
- Evidence shows that unemployment early in life can leave a permanent scar on earning potential, with the effects on careers still evident decades later. By the age of 42, someone who had frequent periods of unemployment in their teens is likely to earn 12-15 per cent less than their peers.
- The cost of being NEET between the ages of 16-18 is estimated to be around £56,000 in public finance costs and £104,000 in resource costs (lost labour market potential), over the working lifetime of each person who has been NEET at this age.
- Evidence suggests there are a number of wider benefits to learning, which include:
o Physical and mental health: those educated to Level 2 or below are 75 per cent more likely to be smoking at age 30 compared to a similar individual educated to degree level or higher. Increasing the qualification level of women without qualifications to Level 2 could reduce their risk of depression at age 42 by 15 per cent.
o Teenage motherhood: 47 per cent of young women who did not obtain any GCSEs in Year 11 had a child by 19, compared to 3 per cent of those achieving 5 or more GCSEs A*-C. - Three areas – Liverpool, Leeds-Bradford-Wakefield and Newcastle-Gateshead – will be able to allocate their own pot of money as part of the Government City Deal agenda, aimed at giving more autonomy to England’s core cities.