Learning providers’ work with NEET young people

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of the relationship between learning providers and young people who have experienced Not being in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) on the latters' agency development. Agency is defined as not only bounded but generated by intra-action with relations of force (Coffey and Farrugia 2014), including learning providers themselves. Providers facilitate the development of individual agency in the form of self-esteem and motivation. However, they also support activation into the labour market and, in

When nurturing is conditional: how NEET practitioners position the support they give to young people who are not in education, employment or training

“…The low quality of the provision for those who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET is one of the main criticisms of the sector (Beck 2015). Provision is characterised by low-status training schemes, which offer low value in the labour-market (Simmons and Thompson 2011).…”

“…If the provision made for NEET young people is characterised in the literature as having low value (Simmons and Thompson 2011), the practitioners themselves are often seen as having low status (Beck 2015). The relationships they establish with young people, however, are recognised as an important part of successful interventions (Simmons and Smyth 2016).…”

“…The issue of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) has been of concern for UK policy makers since the 1980s and continues to an urgent problem within European countries (House of Lords 2014). Whilst being NEET can have a detrimental long-term effect on individuals (Ralston et al 2016) , the education provision made for NEET has often been criticised for being low-quality (Simmons and Thompson 2011); meanwhile the professionals working with NEET young people are often considered to have lower-status than other teacher counterparts (Beck 2015). This study aimed to evaluate the views that practitioners working with NEET young people have of the work they do.…”

A socio-digital ecology approach to understanding digital inequalities among young people

“…Research with adults suggests that individuals in these networks are less likely to help when needed or to allow for independent skill development (Beck, 2015;Courtois & Verdegem, 2016;Helsper & Van Deursen, 2016;Russell, Simmons, & Thompson, 2011;Thompson, 2011).…”

Opportunity structures and educational marginality: the post-16 transitions of young people outside education and employment

“…RPA has therefore reinforced the positioning of the relatively small population of NEET young people aged 16-17 as a problematic and stigmatised group (Maguire 2013;2015a;2015b). However, education and training opportunities for NEET young people remain variable in quality, and the forms of learning they provide have often been criticised (Atkins 2013;Simmons, Thompson & Russell 2014;Beck 2015). Using terms such as 'marginal learning' to refer to repeated encounters with employability programmes and other courses focusing on re-engagement, these authors argue that much NEET provision adds to the marginalisation of an already disadvantaged group.…”