One in eight young people aged 16-24 are not in work or education (NEET), the highest it’s been in eight years. This is not a new challenge, but to tackle it we need new, local solutions. That’s why we set up Connected Futures.
As we head into the next phase of Connected Futures, we reflect on the journey and what we’ve learnt from a year in places.
In 2021, we spoke to young people who faced barriers in their journey from education to employment – those most likely to find themselves NEET. They made it clear that the systems and services that are meant to help them are failing. Different agencies pull young people in different directions, often based on their own targets, not on the young person in front of them. As a result, many end up facing impossible choices, like the care leaver who had to give up college to meet the job search requirements to qualify for housing support, or the young person with learning disabilities moving from work experience to internship to placement, getting great feedback, but never being offered a job.
This patchwork of cookie cutter offers isn’t working. Young people told us what they need – the right support from the right place at the right time to help them into right jobs for them. That’s what Connected Futures is all about.
We know young people need more joined-up support to help them deal with housing, mental health, family responsibilities and benefits – not just skills or ‘employability’. So, we’re funding cross-sector partnerships, including councils, educational institutions, housing associations and business groups as well as charities. This digital series is full of examples of partners bringing their networks and specialist knowledge together in search of new solutions.
However, we also knew it wouldn’t be easy. So we’ve supported partners to work with young people to understand the issues and barriers they face, and identify the opportunities and ideas with real potential to make a difference. Rather than jumping straight to answers, and finding out too late why they don’t work, this first stage of Connected Futures has been about thoroughly exploring the problem.
It’s been exciting to see young people take the lead in this process, and we know this is already changing how local decision-makers think about the issue of youth employment.
As well as funding youth-led exploration in each place, we’ve worked with teams from Ipsos and the University of Birmingham to produce detailed analysis of the local labour market for young people, and the funding available for youth employment and skills. Renaisi, our Learning Partner, has also helped partnerships identify and investigate the questions that matter to young people in each place.
What we’ve found so far confirms that the issues with the current system are pervasive and in need of pressing change. Too often for marginalised young people, school isn’t able to prepare them for their future or the world of work – especially those who are not naturally on the academic or university track.
Employers tell us they find the education and employment support systems hard to navigate or engage with, so vital links to jobs and opportunities aren’t made. Crucially, young people tell us they don’t know what support is out there, let alone how to access help.
But it’s not all hopeless. From Blackpool to Brent, young people and Connected Futures partnerships are starting to explore possible solutions, such as helping to develop a curriculum that helps young people get ready for work or changing how employers recruit. As we move into the next year of the programme, we’re excited to start testing their ideas.
Learn more about Connected Futures: Connected Futures: Places that work for young people (youtube.com)
Look out for more insights into our Connected Futures programme as we speak to funded partners, young people and our learning partners.
