NEET People

NEET stands for people (usually the young) who are Not currently in Employment Education or Training. It is a British government term that is an effort to lift people out of the benefit system and to give them an opportunity to gain a career or job. In England and Wales, in 2007, 9.4 per cent of 16 to 18 year olds were classified as NEET (Department Children, Schools and Families).

The individual, by engaging in a course or training, can leave the dole behind and, theoretically, move forward into a position where they are contributing both to their own development as well as paying tax – to help others. When a person is no longer in the NEET zone they cease to be unemployed and this can have a positive effect on self esteem as well as having more money in the pocket.

As part of my research I looked up NEET on Wikipedia and it says that in Japan “the classification comprises people aged between 15 and 34 who are unemployed, unmarried, not enrolled in school or engaged in housework and not seeking work or the technical training for work.” In Japan those that fit the NEET category are regarded as unwilling to involve themselves in meaningful employment. A Japanese Professor, Michiko Miyamoto, describes the situation in Japan as a “breakdown of the social framework forged in an industrial society, by which young people become adults.”

In the UK, James Purnell (the former Work & Pensions Secretary), was the chief advocate for tackling NEET’s . Many saw the proposed measures he wanted to introduce as a punishment for those on the dole. This was because their Jobseekers allowance would be cut off if NEET’s didn’t get training or join a course. But Purnell, a Labour MP, felt it was important to stress the benefits to society. On BBC Radio Four, recently, he defended his government’s policy on NEET’s by stating that it was part of Socialist philosophy to get people into mainstream employment.

Those taking up the option of completing a course or training cease to be NEET. This can lead to greater confidence as well as an increasing likelihood of getting on the employment ladder. A larger social circle becomes a reality, whereas a person stuck in the NEET category will just stagnate. For whatever motives, a government drive to eliminate those classified as NEET should be welcomed. It could have a profoundly positive effect on society: less crime and happier, more productive lives.

Peter Kingston, in The Guardian (7th May 2008), writes: ‘the Association of Learning Providers (ALP) believes the (British) government is overly concerned with getting people qualifications first before they get jobs when the reverse should be the priority.’ The article goes on: ‘Last year (2007) the proportion of young people in the NEET group began to increase again giving the UK one of the highest drop-out rates for 16-and 17-year-olds in Europe.’ It seems that young people are finding the NEET tag irresistible.

The article continues: ‘Launching the ALP’s annual conference in Nottingham, today, the ALP chief executive, Graham Hoyle, said: “What is now urgently required is a comprehensive, skill-focused strategy, encouraging young people on to a range of government supported pathways that will flexibly balance the need for qualifications, skills and, critically, sustainable employment.”’

But there are lessons for Ireland too. The Irish government, in the last budget, decided to try its own version of eliminating NEETs. This, according to the minister for Social Welfare, was to reduce the amount of unemployment benefit paid to young people, many of whom were school leavers. This was, Mary Hannifin said, to encourage those in that bracket to access training. But, with jobs rarer than hen’s teeth at the moment, where are young people to go? Who will they turn to?

The Irish government needs to clarify greatly its plans and people mustn’t be allowed onto a conveyor belt constantly going aimlessly round and round from course to course and not finding meaningful employment at the end of the process.

In my own case I have had little experience of a working life, but I was never a NEET for long. The courses and voluntary work I have done have been to my advantage and, although I have been in paid employment for less than ten years of my life, I can look back with a certain amount of pride and say that I have gained immensely from not being a NEET. If I can stay free from that four lettered acronym anyone can. Everyone should try and better themselves whatever the level they find themselves at in life. Eliminating NEETs should be a priority.