No next step? How careers education is helping address the long-term NEET crisis

Leaving school without something to go onto can do lasting damage to a young person’s employment prospects, earnings potential and wellbeing.

For the individual, it can be a lonely experience, isolating them from their peers, damaging confidence and aspiration. For society, it means lost potential, reduced productivity, and greater long-term welfare costs to the Treasury. 

The challenge is growing. The number of young people aged 16–24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) is now at its highest since 2014, according to the ONS. The recent Skills Commission inquiry Earning or Learning: A New Agenda for Youth NEET Reduction also highlights the need for effective, scalable and urgent redress. 

Careers education is one of the most powerful tools we have for prevention. Evidence shows that the highest-quality provision reduces the likelihood of a young person being NEET by 8% post-16 and post-18. Careers education offers a return on investment.  After all, NEET prevention is better (and cheaper) than the cure. If young people leave school with a clear line of sight to the world of work – including an understanding of the skills employers need – they are more likely to make a confident transition. 

That’s why we submitted evidence to the Skills Commission inquiry, setting out how we plan to build on the strong foundations of the careers education system. By focusing on quality, data-driven prevention and meaningful work experience, we can further strengthen careers education’s role in NEET prevention – helping every young person take their best next step.

Consistent quality, informed by evidence 

An independent analysis commissioned by CEC summarises the complexity of barriers for young people at risk of becoming NEET. Key principles to boost NEET prevention through careers education include: 

• Targeting barriers that are exacerbated by economic disadvantage. 
• Providing support on a repeat, rather than a one-off basis. 
• Creating social capital for young people with more limited networks e.g. through employer engagement, and trusted and relatable role models and mentors. 

These principles can be achieved within high-quality careers education. The careers system has improved vastly in the last 10 years: schools, on average, now fully achieve 6 out of 8 Gatsby Benchmarks. With a refreshed evidence base, updated benchmarks will raise the bar and close gaps. CEC’s Careers Impact System fosters a whole-school commitment to careers and ensures all young people take their best next step. 

Data-driven prevention 

With 94% of schools and colleges now using CEC’s digital tools, we have more data and insight than ever before into careers education and young people’s pathways. This rich data enables earlier identification and smarter interventions to prevent young people from becoming NEET.  

At CEC we have developed a data-driven “risk of NEET indicator” (RONI) tool for Careers Leaders who use the Compass+ digital tool to use to identify students with risk factors early in secondary school and target additional support. We know that gaps in career readiness and essential skills appear early and can widen for some groups. This tool will be an essential aid to help schools spot those gaps before they become barriers. 

This term, we’re rolling out the RONI tool with 50 schools to test and learn about its use for the wider careers system. It’s supported through our Careers Impact System, which brings together data, insight and a whole-school approach to improving outcomes for every young person. 

Alongside early identification, programmes such as the Effective Transitions Fund are testing and codifying interventions that work for young people who face multiple barriers, through sustained interventions, targeted to the needs of each cohort. The programme has already demonstrated great outcomes: 94% successfully transferred to college or training on leaving school at 16 and 93% were still on their course after six months, compared to 87.8% of all disadvantaged young people.  

Work experience that works for all young people  

The government’s vision for two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person is a chance to build further on the foundations of an improving system, starting from Key Stage 3.  The equalex framework, designed to meet the needs of young people, educators, employers, and providers, enables a wide range of high-quality activities through a whole-school approach. In short, it bridges the gap between the curriculum and the world of work.  

As part of a structured careers programme (defined by the updated Gatsby Benchmarks) work experience increases awareness of jobs and pathways like apprenticeships, builds confidence in key skills like speaking and listening and reduces the likelihood of a young person becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) post-16. 

We are actively working across the careers system to pilot and learn about effective approaches and build capacity to deliver more impact for young people.  

An increasingly effective careers system now needs to go further 

Over the last ten years, the improving careers education system has reached more young people, educators, and employers, delivering a real impact on outcomes for learners, employers, and society. The system is working well, but as the scale of the NEET challenge accelerates, so must the support we offer. 

This means going further, through a relentless focus on quality within a whole-school approach, data-driven prevention and targeted, sustained interventions that work.