Work Foundation report reveals black spots for youth disengagement - Turn2us

Ten black spots for youth disengagement - cities where between one in five and one in four young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET) - have been identified by the Work Foundation and Private Equity Foundation. 

Their report, Off the map? The geography of NEETs (link opens in a new window), looks at NEET rates for 16-17 year olds across Great Britain. It shows that the recession has made this problem worse, with the largest increases in places that already had high NEET levels.

The researchers warn that young people are facing two pressures that contribute to the problem:

• Rapidly rising unemployment, which means that there are fewer entry level jobs, with young, less experienced workers more vulnerable to job losses
• Spending cuts are restricting youth services and reducing the ability of Government to respond to the crisis.

Without effective, targeted action from Government and business, they argue, a generation of young people in these cities will face a bleak future in the job market.

Cities with the highest NEET levels include:

• Grimsby
• Doncaster
• Warrington and Wigan
• Blackpool
• Rochdale and Oldham
• Wirral and Ellesmere Port
• Birmingham
• Barnsley
• Swansea
• Newcastle

Read the Work Foundation press release (link opens in a new window)

Source: BBC News (link opens in a new window)