City leaders meet as Sunderland named as having highest number of youngsters not in work or education
Nearly one in five young people in Sunderland are not in education, employment or training
The city’s business leaders and leading educationalists came together yesterday (September 18) to tackle the spiralling number of young people in Sunderland who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).
Seventeen-and-a-half percent - nearly one in five - of the city’s young people aged 16- to 24 are currently classed as NEET, four percent above the national average and the highest rate nationally.
Sunderland City Council’s CEO, Patrick Melia said: “This is a big issue for the city as we want all our young people to achieve their best in life. Many do that, but we’re aware that not every child gets the same opportunities for education and employment.
“Part of tackling this is about what goes on in the home with families, and creating an aspirational culture for young people both at home and in schools. We also need to get the message out that jobs are available in Sunderland and you can get employment.”
The collaborative event was organised by the Education Development Trust who’ve been carrying out research, with findings highlighting transport, lack of work experience, and a lack of understanding of mental health and neurodiversity as key barriers.
EDT CEO Sarah Farquhar said: “What’s not the reason behind these rates is a lack of ambition from young people. We’ve structural barriers, whether that’s transport or lack of work experience opportunities, and what we’re doing today is bring employers, educationalists, and the Council together to talk about solutions.”
The round table event was attended by some of the city’s largest employers including Nissan and Hays Travel
Dame Irene Hays said: “This is a big issue for us in this region and I’m passionate about getting young people into training and employment as quickly as possible and at Hays Travel we’ve been doing this for forty years.
“Sessions such as today are so important in bringing each part of the system together. It’s difficult to put you finger on why we’ve a higher than average rate, but I don’t believe the system has caught up on the fact that within Sunderland, 75% of jobs are in the service sector yet about 70% of Government funding goes towards construction and manufacturing.”
Nissan is currently the biggest employer in the city, employing 6,000 people.
Head of Skills, Claire Jones said: “At Nissan we do have a focus on providing training and jobs for people in the city, including young people. Days like today are vital in looking at research together and identifying ways forward.”
The event was attended by some of the city’s leading educationalists, including Education Partnership North East - which includes Sunderland College - CEO Toni Rhodes.
Ms Rhodes said: “The number of young people not in education, employment or training, not matter how big or small, should always be a concern. There are multiple reasons why someone might be in this situation. It could be mental or physical health, not knowing who to contact, a lack of confidence, but there’s something out there for every young person and it’s how we engage with each individual.
“We are leading on the NEET agenda, and it’s so important to have the information about who these young people are and what support they need.”
The event was also attended by the Foundation of Light, Academy Trusts, University of Sunderland, DWP, and The King's Trust.