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THE YOUNG are having their futures “eroded” as figures have revealed a 9 per cent rise in people not in education, employment or training (Neet).
The number of 16 to 24-year-olds classified as Neets rose to 946,000 last year — 150,000 higher since the pandemic — according to an Office for National Statistics report released today.
The statistics body said the number of Neet young people between July and September — 13.2 per cent of the total cohort — was up on both the previous quarter andcompared to the same time last year.
An estimated 15.1 per cent of young men and 11.2 per cent of young women were said to be Neet, totalling 946,000.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said young people are paying the price of the Tories’ toxic economic legacy, warning: “Extended periods of unemployment can severely affect the long-term career prospects and financial stability of young people.
“Young people up and down the country are facing the same cost-of-living crisis as everybody else.
“So long periods without earning have the very real potential to push more into poverty.”
Teaching union NASUWT’s general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said the rise was “a reflection of years of failure of the previous government to create the opportunities and pathways to allow all young people to succeed and feel hope for their futures.
“The most marginalised young people are those most likely to be Neet, including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, ethnic minority young people, care-experienced young people and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
“There is also a geographical imbalance, with the number of young people classed as Neet much higher in the north-east of England compared to the south.
“Any programme to get young people back into work or education must recognise and be capable of addressing these disparities.”
He said government’s youth guarantee “has the potential to begin to address the persistently high rates” of Neets but will require the provision of external specialist advisors to make a genuine difference.
Vocational education and apprenticeships also needed further attention.
Teach First charity chief Russell Hobby said that “we’re witnessing the erosion of their futures before our eyes.”
Learning and Work Institute chief executive Stephen Evans added the number of young Neets is estimated to be at its highest level in a decade, having risen 20 per cent since the pandemic.
University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said: “College teachers stand ready to train up and educate the next generation into good jobs. But the rise in young people not in education or employment points to the urgent need for Labour to invest heavily in colleges and ensure staff can be retained and attracted to the profession by being paid properly.”
