Employer contact at school reduces chances of becoming a NEET

New research from the charity the Education and Employers Taskforce shows that having employer contacts at school can make a difference to your employment prospects.

The study of young people between the ages of 19- to -24 has shown that those who are able to call on past contacts are five times less likely to not be in education, employment or training.

According to the research, 26.1 per cent of young people who could recall no contact with employers while at school went on to become a NEET. This was reduced to 4.3 per cent for those who had taken part in four or more activities involving employers. The analysis also showed that this contact was not linked to academic achievements.

The report argues that through employer engagement, young people can gain access to new and trustworthy information, in addition to useful contacts. In this way, a high number of brief employer engagements play a significant role in helping young people to explore, clarify and confirm career choices.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "It's really important for young people to get a chance to meet a range of people, doing a range of jobs.  We need to do everything we can to tackle the crisis of youth unemployment."

The report is careful not to see school-mediated employer engagement as the solution to youth unemployment. It argues that the impacts of young people meeting adults from the world of work and getting insights into careers will only be optimised within a professional careers advice framework.

David Cruickshank, chairman of Deloitte, added: "We all know that we need to do something to address the high levels of youth unemployment.  The aim is to give young people a practical insight into jobs, higher education and training including apprenticeships."

For more information and to see the full report, visit http://www.educationandemployers.org/media/7630/deloitte%20eet%20young%20people%20succeed%20report%20final.pdf