‘NEET’ teenagers in Nottingham are getting surprise house calls from career advisers.
Futures Advice, Skills and Employment is working on Nottingham City Council’s pledge to make sure every 18 to 24-year-old is in a job, training or further education, by knocking on their doors next week.
NEET stands for “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” and reaching young people falling into this category is seen by local councils as key to turning around areas of deprivation and high unemployment.
According to the city council, there are 273 known young people in the city who are officially classed as NEET.
However, Nottingham still has some of the lowest NEET rates out of England’s major cities, and is five per cent below the national average.
The ‘Opportunity Knocks’ initiative aims to find out why the minority are outside of the system.
It will also offer support to marginalised and disadvantaged 16 to 29-year-olds who have no work, by providing training programmes.
Amanda Payne, Futures’ Operations Manager, says: “Our advisers will knock on the doors of those people we know who are still struggling to get into work or training.
“A conversation in person with them could be very beneficial and it might be the trigger for them to take advantage of the support that’s on offer across the city.”
The project will also include an information trailer which will be visiting communities across the city between February 20-24.
Cllr Sam Webster, portfolio holder for Education, Employment and Skills, says: “I’m very proud of the results we’ve achieved in keeping ‘NEET’ and ‘Not Known’ levels down in the city.
“We have gone above and beyond our statutory duty to support some of the most vulnerable young people, and their families, to ensure that none are left behind.
“We want to give all young people hope for the future and an opportunity to progress into further training and education.
“A simple conversation with some of those people with whom we are not currently engaging could make a significant difference to their job prospects.”
