Islington's Youth Council has pressed the local authority on its strategies for reducing the number of young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET), and how success is measured.
During a recent council meeting, Young Mayor Zackariya Yahya questioned Councillor James Potts, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy and Planning, about actions to reduce NEET levels and improve young people's access to opportunities. Councillor Potts outlined a multi-faceted approach, focusing on early identification and prevention,
targeted support for those at risk,
and strong pathways into education, training and work.
Specific programmes mentioned include World of Work
for early intervention, which ensures all young people across mainstream and special schools have meaningful engagement with employers, careers education and work experience opportunities.
The Empower
programme work[s] with schools to identify pupils at risk of becoming NEET through a thorough set of specific indicators and again we provide that tailored enrichment and career guidance.
For young people with additional barriers, the council offers the Youth Trailblazer programme,
Your choice
(paid work experience), a supported internship offer for young people with SEND,
and the Apprenticeships Academy.
The Youth Trailblazer programme
specifically supports care-leavers, young people with SEND and those with mental health or complex needs into jobs, training and apprenticeships.
The council also aims to improve its tracking of young people, particularly the number of not known NEETs,
to ensure every young person can be identified and then we can get them the support they need and put them on a positive pathway.
In response to a supplementary question about the increasing difficulty young people face in finding part-time jobs, Councillor Potts acknowledged the significant impact of AI and the changing job market. I think because of stuff like AI coming in... That's four Saturday jobs there that have gone from our high street, for example,
he stated. AI is obviously really, you know, can be really great and have some potential, but also it's also taking jobs away from, you know, people that are young or also those who are newly graduates.
To address this, the council is focusing on help[ing] employers take on young people themselves, whether it's with like a part-time job, with a training opportunity for, you know, maybe three months, maybe six months.
The aim is that this training then leads to an opportunity
or provides that first rung on the career ladder
and transferable skills
for a CV.
Councillor Potts also highlighted the council's commitment to ensuring these opportunities are relevant. We are continuing to strengthen partnerships with schools, colleges and employers and our anchor institution network to ensure that local opportunities are aligned with the labour market and are accessible to all young people.
While specific outcomes and success rates for programmes like World of Work,
Empower,
and Youth Trailblazer
were not detailed, the council's strategy emphasizes early intervention, targeted support, and clear pathways to employment and training, with a focus on identifying and supporting all young people in Islington. The questions were raised during a meeting where the agenda and related documents, including questions from the Youth Council, were discussed. AGENDA Questions from Members of the YOUTH Council
