More teenagers in England may be out of education training or work (NEET) and for longer periods than previously thought, a study has suggested. An audit commission study of 10 areas suggested that one – in –four 16-18 year olds were categorised as NEETs at some point in a two year period. Of those – dubbed as “forgotten teens” in the report – 43% were NEETs for at least 6 months. After age 18 they can drift into unemployment, unqualified and untrained adulthood. The report also warned that 10% of those not in education, training or employment were at a greater risk of falling into long term joblessness, ill health, and criminality.
These are serious issues that need to be supported in our area hence local charity Landau is delighted to announce the In2 programme which aims to support young people into learning and work in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire. The programme, which is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), is targeted at young people aged 15-24.
The In2 programme, which is being led by Landau, offers activities to re-engage young people and support their transition after 15 years old into a positive destination that is either education, employment, apprenticeship or other training programme. The programme offers activities tailored to support the young person into a sustainable, proactive outcome, as being out of school, work or training is often linked to other social issues such as being in care, teenage parenthood, and homelessness.
The CEO of Landau, Sonia Roberts is excited about the In2 programme and said “this is a great opportunity to support the young people in our area. Young people should be the future but hundreds are at risk. We will be working in partnership with schools, Local Authorities, colleges, the NHS and employers as we want this funding to reach the most disadvantaged.”
Landau is proud to be working together as a partnership with other local organisations, supporting the provision of a diverse offer for young people. The In2 partnership will use proven local delivery methods, and offer a broad geographical reach, delivering both qualification and non-qualification activities to support young people to improve their life skills, develop key skills and enhance employability.
Graham Wynn, chairman of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, said it was vital that young people were given the opportunity to develop their skills as fully as possible.
“To build a thriving, prosperous economy across the Marches we need to make sure that all our youngsters have access to training and development programmes which equip them with the skills they need. This In2 programme will play an important role in doing that.”
The goal of the programme is to help young people to participate in learning or to get in to work by equipping them with the personal and transferable skills they will need to achieve this. To achieve this there will be a range of opportunities for people participating to increase their work experience, training and education. The programme will also focus on skills, qualities and behaviours to prepare participants for work or going back into education and building everyone’s confidence and resilience to overcome barriers and challenge.
