Youth Tracker Issue 4

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Contents

By youth, for youth 2

Expert insight: Andy Ross 4

Challenging the curriculum 5

In focus: Local authorities 6

What can charities do thatgovernment cant? 6

Neets in numbers 9

The Governments Neet plans 10

Policy round-up 11

Research round-up 12

Acknowledgements/Contact us 12

tracker Reporting on challenges andsolutions for young people in theUK, during recession and recoveryYOUTHIssue 4, Summer 2010

Welcome to the fourth edition ofYouth Tracker, the quarterlynewsletter looking at how Britains young people are faring in therecession and recovery, and what can be done to support them.

August brings the prospect of exam results and young peoplehaving to decide on their next steps in life. This edition ofYouthTracker focuses on what we can do to put these young people atthe forefront of education and skills policy.

We look at what surveys tell us about why some people disengagefrom school, and analyse the latest labour market statistics tounderstand which young people are at greatest risk of being out of work or training. John Hayes MP, Minister with joint responsibilitiesin both the Department for Education and the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills, sets out the coalition governmentsplans to support young people as they start their careers.

Of course, its what happens on the ground that really makes adifference. Thats why we open this edition with an interview witha 19-year-old man who is trying to change things in his local area,

and include stories from some of Private Equity Foundations pastand present portfolio charities to understand what is going on inour communities.

Download additional copies of thisnewsletter at www.ippr.org/youthtracker

The Institute for Public Policy Researchis the UKs leading progressive thinktank, producing cutting edge researchand innovative policy ideas for a just,democratic and sustainable world.www.ippr.org

The Private Equity Foundation (PEF)was set up to empower young people to

reach their full potential. It does this byinvesting both money and expertisefrom the private equity community, tohelp excellent charities achieve a step-change in their impact.www.privateequityfoundation.org

Kate Stanley, deputy director, ippr Shaks Ghosh, chief executive,Private Equity Foundation


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People will come and start the courseand theyll be like a brick they wontwant to do anything, they wont sayanything, they might not want to evenbe there. The technique is not to chipaway at the brick cuddle them andpamper them andcrap like that itsto smash the brick.

I almost did adouble-take. Thiswasnt a retired

army major tellingme about hisapproach to workingwith so-called Neet young people(those not in education, employment ortraining): it was an unemployed 19-year-old who left school at sixteen. Fedup with the way such young people aretreated by the system, Mike Crone hasdecided to try to do something about it

himself. Its like a therapy academy butthey dont realise it. When you need acuddle well give you a cuddle, butwhen you need a kick up the backsidewell kick you hard.

I went to Reading to meet Mike,himself one of the 900,000 youngpeople that are out of employment,education or training in Britain, and OliGrey who works for the youth charity

BACYP. Together they are setting up aproject called Base, which will provide

emotional support to young people in

Reading and help them build upessential skills that they might belacking.

The idea for Base came to Mike inApril when he was chatting to staff andfriends at his local Connexions service.It aims to fill in the gaps in the currentsystem that he has spotted first-hand.In any system theres going to begaps, Oli explains, and the gaps we

see are for the young people who dontdo particularly well in school, but whoarent the ones with particular learningdifficulties either.

These young peoples problems aremild enough that they do not registerwith the authorities as requiringspecialist help. Nevertheless, they endup leaving school with fewqualifications, no work experience, and,often, an unsupportive home life. It is

these people who fall through the gapsin the system and it is these gaps thatBase is trying to fill.

Changing attitudesThe main way Base plans to fill thesegaps is by providing emotional support.They hope to get participants doing aseries of what seem like ordinary tasks,

but that are designed to help them getover barriers such as low confidence,

fear of opening up and having narrow

horizons. These are the barriers thathave to be overcome before morestructured training sessions and supportprogrammes can be effective. If aperson doesnt think there is value ineducation and training, or they dontthink they have the ability to find a job,then no amount of training courses willhelp them. While the current system isquite good at providing practical

training sessions for things like writing aCV, in the view of Mike and Oli it tendsto fall at this more basic hurdle.

Much of our conversation focuses onthis issue of changing cultures andattitudes among Neet young people.Cultures do build up. People who arefrustrated stick to groups they know its a clan mentality. If you spend all of your time with the same people in the

same area in the same town, you startto accept the things you see as beingthe reality. Mike becomes quiteanimated when talking about youngpeoples apathy, the fact they accepttheir situation as just the way it is.Thats one of the key things we needto break down, he tells me.

At one level Base will do this gently,by mixing different groups of people

just to show them that there are otherpaths they can choose, other walks of life out there. But, he explains, there isa tough-love element to this too: wellask them what have you done recentlyto improve your own life? And thentheyll have the answers right in front of them. You know, if they arecomplaining they are unemployed buthavent put in any job applications, howcan they expect to have a job whentheyve stopped at the first hurdle?

2 YOUTH TRACKER Issue 4, Summer 2010| ippr | Private Equity Foundation

ipprs Jonathan Cliftontravelled to Reading to hearhow one of the UKs manyyoung people classed asNeet, is taking matters intohis own hands

By youth, for youth

The gaps we see are for the young people who dont do particularlywell in school, but who arent theones with particular learningdifficulties either


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Academic research supports thisfocus on tackling perceptions abouteducation, work and peoples horizons.Anne Green from the University of Warwick has used mental maps todemonstrate how the place people livein is important in shaping theirexperience of thelabour market as itaffects whatopportunities theysee and how theyinterpret and act onthe informationavailable to them.

But identifying theimportance of cultures and perceptionsis surely the easy task. Changing themis quite a different story. And this iswhere Bases approach is so innovative.Its tag line is by youth, for youth andthe emphasis is on peer-to-peersupport. The aim is to get theparticipants to recruit other people totake part, and to set their owncurriculum and decide what they mostneed help with, and eventually to helplead it. The idea is that the people

going through the first pilot get offeredthe chance to become the leaders forthe next sessions, says Oli. The benefitsof this approach are clear theparticipants are treated like adults, withvalid opinions and skills that they cancontribute to the session. By letting

them contributein this way it cangive them a senseof ownership andresponsibility andbuild their self-esteem. It is alsolikely to be a farmore effective

way of embedding change throughpeer-to-peer networks, rather thantrying to force it on them from the top.

Criticisms of the educationsystemOur conversation moves on toeducation and the ideas start pouringout: shifting from exams to ongoingassessment; tailoring syllabuses for eachindividual; making lessons more like

workshops; more mixing with adults. At

one point Oli is halfway throughexplaining that Pupil Referral Units arefor those who get excluded from schoolwhen he is interrupted by Mike who hasa grin on his face: I know, Ive been ina couple. Interestingly, he sings theirpraises: they do work the teachingtechniques are so much better. Theywork because they treat you like anadult. Its not like in school where the

mentality of the teachers is that youreso much lower than me.

Oli and Mikes main criticism of theeducation system is that it is very onedimensional. They complain about alack of options for those who dontwant to go the traditional route.Theres a lot of stigma.... If youre notA-levels-university-job then youre nota youth, says Mike.

This last comment contained a muchmore troubling undertone thananything we had discussed before. Itwas becoming clear that this is not justabout helping young people to find a job, education, or training. It is aboutthem finding a place to belong, a placein society as a whole. Society is notwelcoming of us, Mike complained. Forthose that do not fit into the traditional

model of university education theresno microphone, no speaker, were notheard at all.

3YOUTH TRACKER Issue 4, Summer 2010| ippr | Private Equity Foundation

The place people livein is important in shaping theirexperience of thelabour market

This is not justabout helping young people to find a job,education, ortraining. It is aboutthem finding a placeto belong, a place in society as a whole

Base is being piloted in Reading as apeer-led project where youngpeople who are Neet can supporteach other. Contact details for the

project can be requested from [email protected]


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It is estimated that betweenone fifth and one third of allyoung people aged 1416 aredisengaged from education.

Using data from theLongitudinal Study of YoungPeople in England (LSYPE) a nationally representativestudy following the lives of young people as theycomplete their secondaryeducation and beyond weare able to get a betterunderstanding of the kinds of young

people who are most likely todisengage, the age at which they do soas well as the some of the factors thathelp or hinder young peoplesengagement with education.

The study identifies different typesof engaged or disengaged youngpeople based on a combination of theirattitudes, behaviour and motivations.For example, about a quarter of young

people disliked school but neverthelessremained committed to education inthe longer term, achieving almost aswell as their engaged peers. However,one group stood out as being aparticular cause for concern. About afifth of young people were far lesscommitted to education, much morelikely to play truant and had especiallypoor attitudes to school. Over a quarter

of these disengaged young peoplewere Neet the following year.

Catch them youngIn school Year 9, where the study firstbegan collecting data, the majority of young people were already eitherengaged or disengaged and remained inthe same state for the rest of their

compulsoryschooling.Therefore,strategiesaimed atimprovingyoung peoplesengagementshould reallybegin before thistime.Nevertheless,there appears tobe a further,

perhaps critical point in the transitionbetween Years 9 and 10 during which asignificant number of young peopledisengage. This is the point at whichyoung people start their GCSEqualifications, a period associated withincreased workload, but also perhaps forsome a periodassociated withincreased anxietyover therecognition thatwork now countstowards finalqualifications.

Who disengages?Looking more closely at the kinds of young people who are most likely todisengage, the study supports a lot of previous research in this area that

shows those at greatest risk of disengaging tend to be white malesfrom disadvantaged backgrounds.When considering issues relating to thegap in attainment it is thereforeimportant to also address the gap inengagement and ensure that theseyoung people continue to see therelevance in and remain committed totheir education. There were also a

number of other factors associatedwith young peoples disengagementincluding experiences of bullying inschool, the quality of the relationshipsthat young people had with theirteachers as well as the general culturein relation to truancy within eachschool.

Keeping young people

interestedOn a more positive note the studyhighlights some potential strategiesthat might serve to improve levels of engagement. For example, where therewas evidence of a positive relationshipbetween schools and young peoples

parents thesesame youngpeople weremore likely tobe engaged,whichsuggests thatstrategiesaimed at

getting more schools working withparents might be one way to improvelevels of engagement.

Another strategy lies in ensuring thatgetting a good education remainsrelevant to the lives of young people.


Strategies aimed at

getting more schoolsworking with parents mightbe one way to improvelevels of engagement

EXPERT INSIGHTNatCens Andy Rossexplains what leads someyoung people to disengagefrom education


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For disengaged young people having a job that paid well was held inparticularly high esteem, more so thanby other young people, yet at the sametime the former were far less likely torecognise the importance of educationin achieving this aim. A qualitativestudy, also carried out at NatCen,found that quite often disengagedyoung people expressed regret later onat not having understood that aminimum number of GCSEs wererequired for most college courses,

work-based learning settings, anddecent jobs. This information needs tobe communicated to young peopleearly, before Year 9, and moreimportantly in a manner that is relevantto them, perhaps by focusing on theirlong-term earning capacity.

Disengaged young people were morelikely to enjoy and have confidence instudying ICT (Information and

Communication Technology) than othersubjects, suggesting that thebroadening of the school curriculumgiving young people moreopportunities to study vocational typequalifications might be another way toimprove levels of engagement. Finally,there was also evidence that parentaland teacher supervision of homework,and having extracurricular activity and

study support on offer, may also play apositive role.


Challenging the curriculumSarah Gracey outlines four changes to schools and thecurriculum that could helptackle the Neet problem

1. The curriculumThe curriculum at age 14 still does notoffer sufficient flexibility. There arenot enough options for varied courses

and hands-on learning for those whoare disengaged from school orundecided about their options.

Programmes allowing 14 year oldsto step out of a schools-basednational curriculum for a year andexperience a range of taster coursesand practical learning, alongside keyskills training, have been hugelysuccessful in improving attitude and

retention. Youngsters at risk of disengaging should have this yearout option available at age 14.

2. FlexibilityProgression routes need to make iteasier to change tack, re-skill andpursue different qualifications, not just to help disengaged orundecided learners find what is bestfor them, but also to enable peopleto re-skill in a changing, flexibleeconomy. It can also help people whohave already dropped out of education to re-engage more easily.Skills accounts can be an importanttool to enable this flexibility.

3. Careers education andguidanceCareers education and guidance

(CEG) can be unsystematic and of uneven quality. European systemsoften have structured careers advicefrom age 12 or 13. Careers guidanceneeds to begin much earlier in schooland be delivered by an independent,professional service.

More imaginative, extensive andstructured work experience should beembedded throughout the curriculum

and course materials from Year 7onwards and not just be a two weekexperience tacked on the end of Year10 or 11. Technology could be usedfar more innovatively in developinglearning tools connecting schoolswith places of work.

4. Transition periodsThe support available at vital

transition points within educationneeds to be improved. In Year 7,smaller groups, buddy systems witholder students, mentoring andintensive catch-up, can all help thetransition from primary to secondaryschool. Transitions from Key Stage 3to Key Stage 4 and from school tocollege must also be supported.

We need changes in these four

areas to ensure all young people canbe inspired and properly supported tomake the most of their learningopportunities.

Andy Ross is Research Director,Children and Young People, atNatCen. Details of his research canbe found at www.natcen.ac.uk/

study/disengagement-from-education-among-14-16-year-olds

Sarah Gracey is a Policy Analystat LSN Centre for Innovation inLearning. The Centres recentreport Changing the Neetmindset can be downloadedfrom www.lsnlearning.org.uk


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What can cIn focus: Local authorities

Newhams research, which will inform usas we commission services in theborough, showed that parents were thebiggest influence on young peoplesdecisions aboutcourses and careers,followed by teachers

and friends.However, there iscurrently little helpavailable for parentsin understanding thepathways available totheir children. Muchmore could be done here to equipparents with the information they needto guide their childrens choices.

The research also showed thesignificance of the EducationMaintenance Allowance [see p11]. Themajority of young people in receipt of the EMA said it was an important factorin their decision to continue studying.The EMA has been instrumental toincreasing participation among poorerstudents and any move to scrap it mustbe resisted.

Young people tended to be unawareof the demands of local businesses.

Whereas employers prized employabilityand soft skills most highly, youngpeople thought technical and managerialskills were more important. They alsohad a rather limited awareness of therange of jobs and career paths availableto them locally. This shows the need formore focused information, advice andguidance, informed by the demands of the local economy.

The research also showed that contactwith employers while in education, forexample through work experience,helped young people make better, moreinformed choices. However, mostemployers we spoke to had no

involvement in education.Whereas those who wereengaged reportednumerous benefits, thosewho were not did not seethe business case fordoing so. Most employersalso struggled tocomprehend the array of qualifications available.

There seems to be an opportunity toreach out to employers, demonstratingthe case for engagement and ensuringthey understand the full range of qualifications and courses now available.

Finally, for those who slip through thenet and become Neet, the most effectiveapproach for re-engagement involvesflexible voluntary sector provision,supported by youth workers, offeringsmall steps of progression.

On 1 April 2010, localauthorities across Englandwere given responsibility forcommissioning 1619education. Here, JoeDromey explains what theLondon Borough of Newhamhas learned about where to

focus the services itcommissions.

Joe Dromey is a Senior PolicyOfficer in the London Borough of Newham. See www.newham.gov.uk/furthereducationresearch

The Education Maintenance Allowance hasbeen instrumentalto increasing participation

Volunteer Reading HelpVolunteer Reading Help aims tocreate a nation of confident childrenwho are literate for life through thesustained support of a trainedvolunteer reading helper at the childsprimary school.

The key to our success is thepatience and enthusiasm of our

volunteers who help sell reading to achild. The one-to-one nature of thesessions allows us to tailor them toeach childs needs and earlyintervention means a child can go onto secondary school with the readingconfidence necessary to succeed.

Are charities in a position to domore? Well, in the case of VolunteerReading

Help, wehave beeninvolved inprovidingservices for37 yearsand willcontinue to do so. Our aim, of course, is to attract more and morevolunteers to engage in this life-

changing activity for children. We donot see our role as replacingexisting educational services butsupplementing them.

Our only constraint in reachingmore children is capacity this yearwe are helping 20 per cent more thanlast year but we can only continue togrow where funding is available toboth us as a charity and to the

schools themselves.www.vrh.org.uk..........................................................

Our onlyconstraint inreaching morechildren iscapacity


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harities do that government cant?The Place2BePlace2Be counsellors work in schools toidentify and address the cause of emotional and mental health problems,before they have reached a point whena childs development, education andwellbeing are compromised.

Early intervention is central to ThePlace2Be: counsellors work with

children as young as four, as well astheir families and teachers. Workinginside school, The Place2Be becomesintegral to the day-to-day schoolactivity, so there is no stigma attachedto using the service.

In terms of whether charities are ableto do more, The Place2Be has a triedand tested model that has been honedfor over 16 years but, like other

charities, it is reliant on funding. ThePlace2Be has an income made up fromschools (25 per cent), companies,trusts and foundations (30 per cent),government (28 per cent) andindividuals and training. If ThePlace2Be is to roll out its service,

funding needs to be sustained andincreased during these financiallychallenging times.

In contrast to government, charitiesare experts in their field and can createdirect and personal connections withthe people and communities they are

helping, developing positive, long-termrelationships built on trust. Charities arecause driven and not affected by partypolitics.

Charities need both financial supportand consistent government policy totackle the neet problem. It is vital thatlong-term funding (35 years) isprovided in order to allow the work tomake a difference.

www.theplace2be.org.uk..............................................................

School-Home Support(SHS)SHS places practitioners in schools tosupport children and families whateverthey are going through. We act as abridge between school and home.

Charities are often well placed todeliver personal services and have agreat track record of reaching peoplewho find it hard to access statutory

Since being elected to office, Prime Minister David Cameron has madean impassioned plea for a big society to replace the big state inproviding public services. A key plank of this plan is to increase thenumber of social enterprises, charities and community groups providingservices. Youth Tracker caught up with some leading charities working ineducation, to find out the key to their success.

We asked these charities if they are well placed to play more of a role,the Governments aims are realistic, what charities can do thatgovernment cannot, and what will need to change to allow charities to

play more of a role in tackling the Neet problem.These organisations clearly have much to offer that central governmentcannot: niche skills and expertise; local contact and trust with serviceusers; flexibility in response to changing needs; and a freedom from partypolitics. But the charities are also at pains to point out that they are just adependent on funding as other service providers and that budgetcutbacks could impact on areas of their service that are commissioned byschools and local authorities.

Volunteer Reading Help assiststhis young reader with his

comprehension


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What can charities do that government cant?

services. However, government has tobe very clear why it is asking charitiesto do the provision if it is looking foreffectiveness, thats great; if it is justlooking for a cheap way of gettingwhat was a statutorily provided servicethere could be disappointment.

What charities do is spot a need andwork out how best to tackle it. Becausethey can generally be light on their feetand innovative, they are able to adjustprovision to meet the needs of individuals. It is much harder for

statutory services to be able to adaptswiftly to new or changing needs.Charities also tend to be specialists in

what they do, so they have a very goodunderstanding of their client group anddevelop services to suit; sadly manystatutory services are delivered in aspecific way that suits the service, notthe individual.

Charities also have the added benefitof attracting voluntary income andgaining the support of the generalpublic either financially, throughvolunteering their time or in raisingawareness and campaigning.www.shs.org.uk..............................................................

IntoUniversityIntoUniversity provides 718 year oldswith a combination of after schoolsupport, undergraduate mentors andspecially designedstudy programmesto raise aspirationand attainment.These are deliveredin partnership withschools anduniversities.

The key to oursuccess is that we are an earlyintervention programme which also

provides pastoral support. Mostwidening participation programmesbegin at secondary school we start atage seven.

Charities like ours already providevaluable community services and oftenin more creative and efficient ways thanstatutory bodies. However, if charitiesare to be more involved in developingservices, there must also be adequateand sustained funding and theunderpinning of crucial public servicesto support charity work.

In terms of what charities can doversus government, locally-basedcharities such as ours are attuned to theneeds of our users and can beresponsive to grassroots communityneeds. Our efficient governance andmanagement structures allow us torespond quickly so that new projectscan be launched, if necessary, within acouple of months without having to

work through layers of bureaucracy.Charities can also mobilise volunteersboth in their management and delivery,adding considerable value.IntoUniversity volunteers contributeover two hundred thousand poundsworth of time to the charity every year.The charity is also able to createinnovative partnerships betweenseparate business and education

sectors.If we were in the new government, to

help young peopleflourish we wouldcreate a focus onearly interventionand prevention.From ourexperience, muchmore work needs

to happen in the primary school yearsto avoid problems later on.www.intouniversity.org

If government islooking foreffectiveness, thats great; if it is just looking for a cheap way of getting what was a statutorily provided service there could bedisappointment

If we were in the new government, we wouldcreate a focus on earlyintervention and prevention

An IntoUniversity mentorhelps young children


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9YOUTH TRACKER Issue 4, Summer 2010 | ippr | Private Equity Foundation

Neets in numbersAs we go to press, students up and down the country are anxiously awaiting their exam results.Youth Tracker takes a closer look at which students are at greatest risk of becoming neet.

Newspaper headlines have tended tofocus on the shocking numbers of graduates now facing unemployment with fears of disillusioned graduatesunable to find work despite havinggood qualifications.

But ipprs analysis of the LabourForce Survey shows that this is missingthe bigger picture. While it is true thatgraduates have seen the fastestincrease in the numbers becomingNeet over the last few years, theiroverall risk of becoming Neet is stillmuch lower than for theircontemporaries with no or low levels of qualifications; it is this latter group that

still runs by far the biggest risk of becoming Neet.

Some of the key statistics are: Young people with degrees have

seen a sharp increase in their riskof becoming Neet since therecession began. Their risk hasincreased by 50 per cent since theonset of recession.

However, the total proportion of people with degrees that becomeNeet remains one of the lowestof any group with 11.4 per centbeing Neet in the first quarter of 2010.

In contrast, the proportion of young people with noqualifications that become Neetis 36.1 per cent.

The proportion of young peoplewith low level (level 2)qualifications is 16.1 per cent

also higher than the rate foruniversity graduates.

Looking at how the risk of becomingNeet has changed over time, the datareveals that there are two quitedifferent stories to be told:

For graduates, the rising numberwho are not in work or enrolled ona course is a result of the recession the number in this category hasincreased by over a half since therecession hit in 2008. Experiencetells us that these graduates arelikely to do better than non-

graduates when the economyrecovers. On the other hand, for young

people with no qualifications,the recession has had only a verysmall impact. Over a third (34.6per cent) of this group werealready Neet before therecession struck, and in the firstquarter of 2010 this remained at

a similar rate 36.1 per cent.This suggests a long-termproblem whose route causes are

not connected to the recenteconomic upheaval.

While the impact of the recession ongraduate employment is a cause forconcern, it must not detract our attentionfrom the long-standing structuralproblems facing those at the bottom end

of the education system and labourmarket. These problems are unlikely to goaway when the recovery is secured.

Table 1: Risk of becoming Neet by highest level of qualification (%), 1624year olds

Q1 2008 Q1 2010 PP Change % ChangeDegree 7.5 11.4 3.9 52HE 7.9 12.9 5 63.3Level 3 6.4 9.1 2.7 42.2Level 2 14 16.1 2.1 15None 34.6 36.1 1.5 4.3Data from Labour Force Survey


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The Governments Neet plans

For the many young peoplewho are leaving sixth formsand colleges at this time of year, thoughts naturally turnto the next stage in theirlives. Some will be planningto stay in education, others

will be preparing for theworld of work. But what of those who donot get the grades they need, or whocannot find a job? Employment has beenhit badly in the recession, as we wellknow, and it is young people that havetaken the brunt of the downturn.

My colleagues and I are workingclosely together to address the issue of rising numbers of 1824 year olds not in

education, employment or training(Neet). I want to be clear that everyoneshould be entitled to training and workopportunities, and these opportunitiesneed to be of value to the individual,employer and the economy. We knowthat when you are stuck in a rut, or in acycle of interviews and rejections, it ishard to feel positive and motivated tokeep looking for a break. Thats why we

are determined to provide as manychances for people of all ages to gain

worthwhile training, get into work andcarve out a career.

Two-thirds of the Apprenticeshipsbudget (1.2 billion) is targeted at 1618 year olds and the additional funding(150 million) redeployed from Train toGain will further help young adults bycreating around 50,000 new training

positions. Wereally believe

thatapprenticeshipsprovide animportantvocational routefor young peopleto develop theirskills and progressin the workplace.Apprentices learnwhile they work,

earn a wage and contribute to thesuccess of the business.

We are also ensuring thatgovernment support is being directedin the right way to support people andindustry as the economy continues togrow and the demand for skilledworkers returns. We are working toensure that there is support available tohelp young people to develop the skillsneeded to secure a sustainable job.Young people will benefit from anintegrated Work Programme which willbe introduced by the summer of 2011,and will offer people targeted,personalised help, delivered throughthe best private and voluntary sectorproviders. We also want to supportyoung unemployed people not in theWork Programme to gain workexperience.

In the current economic climatecolleges and training providers need tobe able to deliver responsive and flexibletraining that is relevant to the labourmarket and employer training needs. Wehave given well performing collegesmore say over what they do with theiradult funding, so that courses that are of economic benefit and in high demandare supported. This will help all learners,

including disadvantaged young people.However, I want to enable the Further

Education system to become even moreflexible, to deliver more for less, and Iwant to hear from the sector how thiscan be done. On 22 July I launchedparallel consultations on theGovernments future strategy for skillsand the funding of adult learning, theoutcome of which will inform thisautumns Spending Review. [The link tothe document and response pages is:www.bis.gov.uk/skills-consultation.]

We are also launching a new adultcareers service, Next Step, which willmake it easier for people to seek helpand guidance on work, career andtraining opportunities. Information andadvice is available face to face, over thetelephone and online.

I firmly believe that skills are essentialto obtaining, maintaining and progressingin sustained employment. We need toencourage young people, whether theyare in employment or not, to develop andimprove the skills that will help themprogress. This will help them becomemore confident, secure a good job,provide for themselves and their familiesand contribute to their community. Bybuilding skills, education and training alsohelps to build a Big Society.

John Hayes MP, Minister of State at both theDepartment for Business,Innovation and Skills and theDepartment for Education,explains how the coalitiongovernment plans totackle the number of

Neet young peopleacross Britain.


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11YOUTH TRACKER Issue 4, Summer 2010 | ippr | Private Equity Foundation

EMA: Safe for nowThe Educational MaintenanceAllowance (cash given to 1618 yearolds to help them carry on learning)will be paid in full this year. But theGovernment will not make anyannouncements about its long-termfuture until the Autumn.

Connexions being hitby cutsConnexions services, which provideimpartial careers advice for youngpeople, are facing cuts in some areas.Soon after the election theDepartment for Education (DfE) askedlocal authorities to make savings byreducing their area-based grants.Although the DfE did not stipulateexactly where the cuts should fall,many local authorities have decided tomake cuts to Connexions. The unionUnison has launched a Save theConnexions Service campaign.However, the Government is alsolaunching a new adult careers servicecalled Next Step.

Pupil premiumThe Government will introduce a pupilpremium which will give schools

extra funding if they take children

from disadvantaged families although the exact size of the premiumwill not be announced until after the

Spending Review this Autumn.

Response to SelectCommittee on NeetsIn the spring edition of Youth Trackerwe reported on a Select Committeereview of young people who areNeet. The Government has publisheda response to this report in which itaccepts many of the Committeesfindings, but rejects the idea of extending the so-called Septemberguarantee of a place in furthereducation to 18 year olds.www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmeduc/416/416.pdf

National Citizens Servicepilots plannedA programme for 16 year olds toundertake a form of national servicein the summer months will be pilotednext summer. Participants will spend atleast ten days away from homecompleting outdoor challenges andcommunity work.www.number10.gov.uk/news/topstorynews/2010/07/pm-launches-national-citizen-service-pilots-53775

Changes to curriculumThe Government is currently reviewingthe national curriculum and changeswill be announced shortly. Ministershave promised a return to moretraditional subjects, a focus on thebasics and giving teachers moreflexibility to choose what they teach.www.education.gov.uk/curriculum

Consultation on welfarereformThe Department for Work and Pensionshas issued a consultation documententitled 21st Century Welfare. It setsout ways to simplify the benefitssystem and improve incentives to work,such as allowing people to keep moreof what they earn as they move intowork while withdrawing benefits at asingle, more reasonable rate as peoplestart to earn more money. Thedocument includes ipprs proposal for aSingle Working Age Benefit.www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/21st-century-welfare.pdf www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=552

Policy round-upA new government has been formed since the last edition ofYouth Tracker and it has made anumber of changes to policy. Having heard from John Hayes MP, opposite, below we presentour round-up of some of the changes. We also recommend checking the relevant departmentwebsites for the most up-to-date announcements.


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Youth Tracker: Acknowledgements | Contact usThis newsletter was compiled and edited by Jonathan Clifton. He would like tothank Kayte Lawton, Kate Stanley and Fiona Murray for their help and feedback.The newsletter was produced by Georgina Kyriacou. ippr and PEF would like tothank all those who contributed individual articles to this publication.

If you have any feedback on this newsletter, please contact Jonathan Clifton on+44 (0)20 7470 6166 or [email protected]

Research round-up

Interns need a fair wage(ippr, July 2010)

This briefing paper examines the roleand nature of unpaid internships in theUK. Many well-qualified, talented andpassionate young people lack theresources to pay their own way throughan unpaid internship. The informalsystem of unpaid internships operatingin many of the most exciting andinfluential industries actively excludesyoung people who come from less well-

off families. The paper proposes agradual phasing out of unpaidinternships and discusses some optionsfor ensuring that more young peoplehave access to paid internshipopportunities.www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=765

Against the odds (AuditCommission, July 2010)This report analyses the records of 24,000 young people in 10 differentareas between 2007 and 2009. It findsthat one in four 16 to 18 year olds wascategorised as Neet at some point inthe two-year period far higher thannational statistics would suggest. Thereport calls for councils to get to grips

with the needs of their local teenagersand for funding to be targeted in a

better way. It also calls for interventionto support under-16s at risk of dropping out of school, and betterschemes to encourage young peopleinto training or work.www.audit-commission.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/AuditCommissionReports/NationalStudies/NEETsAgainsttheodds.pdf

Opening doors toapprenticeships (Young

Foundation, June 2010)This is the second of two linked reportson apprenticeships. It considers thepractical next steps that need to betaken in order to better understanddisadvantage and/or disengagementfrom apprenticeships, to raiseawareness, to create more effectiveroutes to apprenticeships, and toimprove employer engagement. It isoften the case that the young peoplewho potentially have the most to gainfrom taking an apprenticeship are alsothose who experience the greatestbarriers to access.

This publication forms part of theongoing work of the YoungFoundations Apprenticeship PathfinderProject.www.youngfoundation.org/files/images/OpeningDoors2_FINAL.pdf

Anatomy of Youth(Demos, 2010)

Starting from an analysis of theattitudes of 1625 year olds and someof the key trends they are currentlyliving through, An Anatomy of Youthisa resource for people interested in whatpolitics can do for the next generation.It asserts that the greatest asset we cangive this generation is more politicalcapital and the chance to shape thedebate about the issues that will affect

them tomorrow.www.demos.co.uk/files/AoY_webfile.pdf?1270387139

Official Neet statistics(DfE, August 2010)In August the Department forEducation published its quarterlystatistics on the levels of young people

who are Neet. It notes that theproportion of 1618 year olds who areNeet has remained broadly stable since2003 more in this age range are ineducation but fewer are in employment.Data from Connexions show Neet levelsare highest in the North and lowest inLondon. The majority of Neet youngpeople did not have an identifiablebarrier to participation.

www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000950/NEETQB2_2010.pdf

Youth Tracker Issue 4

Documents

Transcript of Youth Tracker Issue 4