The chances are, if you have come across the termNEET, the context was not positive. Referring to young people not in education, employment or training, for 25 years NEET has been used to refer to those seen as having few skills, little drive and limited prospects. In the media and government policy since the new Labour government looked to tackle youth unemployment under the term, NEET conjures an image of teens in hoodies hanging around tower blocks, possibly involved in crime, maybe gang members, certainly without a bright future. Policy says only that those who are NEET are either unemployed or economically inactive, and it now covers those aged 16 to 24, reflecting growing concerns over graduate employment. For most young people, being NEET is a transitory phase. It is not an inclusive definition, but one of exclusion: NEETs are ‘not in education’, ‘not in employment’ and ‘not in training’ – they are seen as being outside the norm and in need of policy intervention. Though a heterogeneous group, they are stereotyped by policymakers, by society, as ‘other’, disadvantaged, or ‘on the margins’. My research speaking to young people at a ‘lifeskills’ centre for young people who are NEET in Central England aims to give them a voice, the chance to challenge the stereotypes and to show their diversity, their individuality. Labelling themas a single homogeneous category is difficult. Those I spoke to did not seek to group themselves together with uniform characteristics, instead they highlighted individual deficiencies when discussing their unemployment. They recognised the stereotypes of being young and unemployed – if not the term NEET itself – but tried to distance themselves from them, emphasising their ‘student’ status. They were keen to show they were doing something with their lives, that they are ‘ordinary’ young people, but with differing experiences of unemployment and education, and with challenges in their lives. THE IMPACT OF STEREOTYPING Negative stereotyping around young people who are NEET can lead to stigmatisation, demonisation and exclusion. They are seen as having deficits, such as a lack of skills or motivation, and as being a problem needing help. 48 |
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