Event

The NEET Challenge: No Neat Answers?

This event hosted by UK think tank NIESR discusses the barriers preventing young people from accessing opportunities and the policies needed to improve outcomes.

The challenge of young people not in education, employment or training, and its implications for the economy, employers and public policy.

The number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) has become one of the most pressing policy challenges facing the UK economy. For individuals, extended periods outside work and education can have lasting effects on earnings, wellbeing and career prospects. For employers, skills shortages and recruitment challenges persist across many sectors. And, for public policy it raises important questions about economic growth, productivity and social mobility as well as the balance between welfare and work.

Against this backdrop, and the recommendations emerging from the Milburn Review, NIESR is bringing together experts from business, government and academia to explore practical solutions.

Following on from our previous webinar, which focused on the causes of rising levels of youth disengagement, panel members will discuss the barriers preventing young people from accessing education and employment opportunities, and the policies needed to improve outcomes. They will consider the implications for employers, workforce development and the UK’s wider economic performance.

Speakers

Adrian Pabst – NIESR (Chair)

Professor Andy Westwood – Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Birmingham

Daisy Goodall – Young Workers’ Policy Officer, TUC

Evie Matthews – Senior Policy Advisor, Future of Work and Skills, CBI

Jake MacDonald – Youth Employment Lead, Labour Market Directorate, DWP