Amy: 0:04

Hello and welcome once more to the Bench Report, where we discuss recent debates from the benches of the UK Parliament. A new topic every episode. You're listening to Amy and Ivan. Today we're looking at a recent Westminster Hall discussion focused on supporting young people who are not in education, employment, or training, often just called NEETs.

Ivan: 0:26

And the numbers are um quite concerning.

Amy: 0:29

They are. We heard that the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds in this group has been climbing since 2021.

Ivan: 0:34

And it's now nearing its highest point since 2014. But what the debate made very clear right from the start is that this isn't about lazy young people.

Amy: 0:43

Well, MPs really push back on that.

Ivan: 0:45

They argued that view is short-sighted, and you know, it com completely ignores a much more complex reality.

Amy: 0:51

A reality that we see in stories like that of Sean Holland. He's 22 and he's desperate to work.

Ivan: 0:56

But he has arthritis and severe foot problems.

Amy: 0:58

And the only work he could find was this really unpredictable agency work. And his employers, they refused to make even the simplest adjustments.

Ivan: 1:06

Things like providing a chair so we could do packaging work. It's a basic accommodation.

Amy: 1:10

It is. And Colin from Derbyshire Unemployed Worker Centers made a really powerful comparison.

Ivan: 1:16

He did. He likened this modern agency work to the old buddy man system for coal miners.

Amy: 1:23

Which was essentially an unsustainable cash-in-hand recruitment model.

Ivan: 1:27

Exactly. It's a system that denies people any kind of predictability or really their basic rights.

Amy: 1:33

And the data presented really shows who is most vulnerable here.

Ivan: 1:36

The risk factors are quite specific. First, not having an academic qualification above level one.

Amy: 1:42

So that's below what you'd consider a good GCSC.

Ivan: 1:45

Precisely. Then you have having a limiting disability, living with a mental health condition, or having special educational needs. These issues just compound.

Amy: 1:52

And they compound dramatically. A young person with low qualifications from a disadvantaged background is what, 130% more likely to become neat?

Ivan: 2:01

A staggering number. And for young people with SENS special educational needs and disabilities, they're over 80% more likely to be neat than their peers. The system is clearly failing them.

Amy: 2:11

So why is the system letting this happen? One MP used a very striking image.

Ivan: 2:16

The Q, yes.

Amy: 2:17

He said for those going to university, there's a clear cue. But for those who aren't academic, there is, and I'm quoting, no cue.

Ivan: 2:25

They're treated like free-range chickens. Yeah. Just left to wander without a clear career track.

Amy: 2:30

And considering around 65% of school leavers don't go to university, that's a massive gap in support.

Ivan: 2:36

It's huge, but there are some, you know, welcome steps being proposed to address this.

Amy: 2:42

Like merging job centers with the National Career Service.

Ivan: 2:45

Yes, to create a single point of contact for personalized coaching. The idea is to stop people being bounced between different services.

Amy: 2:52

And there's also a growing call to properly elevate technical and vocational education, moving away from that old 50% university target.

Ivan: 3:00

Absolutely. And we're seeing good examples of this, like Derby College Group being designated a construction technical excellence college. That kind of industry partnership is key.

Amy: 3:09

But the action needs to be holistic and it needs to be urgent, especially for that high-risk send cohort.

Ivan: 3:15

And at the end of the day, the ultimate goal has to be prevention.

Amy: 3:19

So stopping young people from falling into this trap in the first place.

Ivan: 3:22

Exactly. The debate cited the David Dnieper Academy. It works very closely with local industry, and it's achieved zero NEETs aged 18 for the last two academic years.

Amy: 3:31

Zero. That's incredible.

Ivan: 3:33

It proves that when you create clear, accessible pathways from school into work, the problem can be solved.

Amy: 3:39

So that leaves us with a question for you to think about. Given the government's stated intention to move away from prioritizing university, what specific measurable steps should every secondary school take in the next year to genuinely elevate technical and trade skills to the same level of respect as A levels? As always, find us on social media at benchreport UK. Get in touch with any topic important to you. Remember, politics is everyone's business. Take care.