New Plans For Helping NEETs

Everyone in Northern Ireland should have the chance to "develop to their full potential", the Assembly heard today.

Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry outlined ministers' strategy for NEETs – young people not in education, employment or training.

The cross-department programme, called 'Pathways To Success', will seek to lift barriers in people's way by encouraging employers and the voluntary sector to work with 'those young people furthest from the labour market', a spokesman for the Northern Ireland Executive said.

It will try to prevent young people from becoming NEETs and will help unemployed people aged 16-24.

Under the new strategy, the Careers Service will case-manage 16- and 17-year-olds who drop out or don’t know what to do when they leave school.

A Community Family Support Programme will be set up to help disadvantaged families.

And some NEETs will get a training allowance.

There is also the possibility of some small employers mentoring young people in a work setting.

Dr Farry said: "Addressing this issue is a major social and economic problem which, if not tackled, results in young people facing a lifetime of limited opportunity characterised by worklessness, poverty and ill-health, and passing severely reduced life chances from generation to generation."

The minister said that once figures had been approved he would provide more information.

(NE)