By Jaimie Kaffash
8 April 2010
Jobseekers’ Allowance for young people should be dependent on their compulsory participation in education or training, MPs have said.
The Commons children, schools and families select committee published its report on young people not in education, employment and training – the ‘Neets’ – today. Its chair, Barry Sheerman, said that the proportion of 16 to 18-year-old Neets remained at 10% ‘despite one policy strategy after another’. The report says ‘radical change’ is needed .
It recommends adopting the strategy implemented in the Netherlands last year, in which anyone claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance had to participate in education or training provided by the state. It also says that a ‘one-stop shop’ – covering access to benefits, careers advice and housing support – should be introduced.
Sheerman told Public Finance that this model works well only when it is accompanied by the ‘positive support’ and ‘high degree of personalisation’ that the Dutch also provide.
He added that many councils are adopting this method successfully. ‘We were very impressed with a number of local authorities that were much more successful than others in bringing down the rate of Neets in their area,’ he said. ‘They were taking on the Dutch kind of focus on one-to-one support, finding out what was inhibiting them from getting into a job, looking at their qualifications, whether they had mental health issues. They were doing it intensively and doing it well.’
He said that local authorities that are successful in getting young people into employment, education and training should receive funding. ‘If they are successful, they should be rewarded. If they are saving the government so much money, why shouldn’t they be getting the rewards? Why can’t they get 50% of what they make?’
Margaret Eaton, chair of the Local Government Assocation, agreed. ‘Councils know what local jobs are available, and they know what barriers prevent teenagers and young adults continuing education in their local areas.
‘Many councils are already doing great work to help young people realise their potential, as this report recognises. Greater local co-ordination of the resources available would allow town halls to do even more to support future generations.’
Stephen Court, senior research officer at the University and College Union, told PF, that there was a lack of detail concerning the move to compulsory participation in education or training. ‘The report did not, as far as I could see expand on this. It would be interesting to know more about this: for example, who would police the system?’ He expressed concern that this might ‘put greater burden on further education staff’.
8 April 2010
Jobseekers’ Allowance for young people should be dependent on their compulsory participation in education or training, MPs have said.
The Commons children, schools and families select committee published its report on young people not in education, employment and training – the ‘Neets’ – today. Its chair, Barry Sheerman, said that the proportion of 16 to 18-year-old Neets remained at 10% ‘despite one policy strategy after another’. The report says ‘radical change’ is needed .
It recommends adopting the strategy implemented in the Netherlands last year, in which anyone claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance had to participate in education or training provided by the state. It also says that a ‘one-stop shop’ – covering access to benefits, careers advice and housing support – should be introduced.
Sheerman told Public Finance that this model works well only when it is accompanied by the ‘positive support’ and ‘high degree of personalisation’ that the Dutch also provide.
He added that many councils are adopting this method successfully. ‘We were very impressed with a number of local authorities that were much more successful than others in bringing down the rate of Neets in their area,’ he said. ‘They were taking on the Dutch kind of focus on one-to-one support, finding out what was inhibiting them from getting into a job, looking at their qualifications, whether they had mental health issues. They were doing it intensively and doing it well.’
He said that local authorities that are successful in getting young people into employment, education and training should receive funding. ‘If they are successful, they should be rewarded. If they are saving the government so much money, why shouldn’t they be getting the rewards? Why can’t they get 50% of what they make?’
Margaret Eaton, chair of the Local Government Assocation, agreed. ‘Councils know what local jobs are available, and they know what barriers prevent teenagers and young adults continuing education in their local areas.
‘Many councils are already doing great work to help young people realise their potential, as this report recognises. Greater local co-ordination of the resources available would allow town halls to do even more to support future generations.’
Stephen Court, senior research officer at the University and College Union, told PF, that there was a lack of detail concerning the move to compulsory participation in education or training. ‘The report did not, as far as I could see expand on this. It would be interesting to know more about this: for example, who would police the system?’ He expressed concern that this might ‘put greater burden on further education staff’.
