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Background

In 2003 unacceptably large numbers of young people in Manchester were not taking part in education, employment or training and were part of what is known as the NEET group. More than 17 per cent of 16 to 18 years olds in Manchester were not taking part in education, employment or training despite an effective local Connexions service which is the government funded information and advice service for 13 to 19 year olds.

Manchester City Council decided to give a high priority to reducing the number of NEET young people because of the negative impact on the city’s economic development and social cohesion and on the life chances and well-being of the individual young people. To align with the City’s wider worklessness and economic agenda Manchester City Council was keen to tackle inter-generational worklessness and to align the skills of their residents with the job opportunities in Manchester’s increasingly knowledge-based economy. As a result Manchester City Council agreed a local Public Service Agreement (PSA) target with the Government to reduce NEET levels in the city from the baseline of 13.6 per cent in 2004 to 9.8 per cent in November 2008.

NEET Programme ManagementTop of page

To achieve the local Public Service Agreement target Manchester City Council funded a NEET co-ordinator and provided a small budget for local innovative activity. The NEET co-ordinator was responsible for the development of a programme of NEET reducing activity and for bringing together key partner agencies who were working with NEET young people and their families. The NEET co-ordinator’s role operated as a secondment from Manchester Connexions to ensure close alignment with their delivery activities and management team.

Following the formation of the Children’s Board in Manchester, the initial multi-agency NEET partnership, which was formed a couple of years earlier, was incorporated into the outcomes group of the Children’s Board. Responsibility for the delivery of the local Public Service Agreement target and the NEET programme of activity was transferred to the Achieve Economic Wellbeing Sub-Group of the Children’s Board in 2006. Making the NEET programme part of the Children’s Board’s outcomes has allowed a much wider range of activities to take place to raise aspirations and to improve careers guidance in schools. The sub-group is chaired by the local Learning and Skills Council and includes Manchester City Council, Barnados, the Community Network for Manchester, Connexions Manchester, Excellence in Cities, Manchester Solutions and Manchester Metropolitan University. The sub-group’s remit was to do the following:

1. Produce a clear analysis of the incidence of NEET in Manchester and an understanding of the factors that create NEET.
2. Produce of a programme of investment and activity that addressed the analysis and evidence base.
3. Secure the alignment and joint commissioning of funding.
4. Raise aspirations and improve the engagement of the NEET group
5. Support the provision of better careers education in schools

Researching the incidence and causes of NEET in ManchesterTop of page

As a first step to achieving their economic wellbeing outcomes, Manchester City Council and its partners improved their understanding of the size and nature of the NEET group. Working with partners to develop a shared understanding, a rolling programme of research was undertaken to identify those schools and communities with the highest levels of NEET and to assess any linkages with other issues of worklessness. This was undertaken by bringing together and analysing existing data from the partners so the NEET incidence at ward, district and City Strategy levels could be reported for the first time. The primary data source was Connexions’ destination survey which takes place each November. The sharing of Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) data also allowed Manchester to focus on issues around families and inter-generational claimants.

The research revealed the following characteristics about NEET young people in Manchester:

• The group is actually very varied and “every story different”. At one extreme, one young person had been through 19 different destinations, for example enrolling on a college course or starting a job, in just two years.
• There is considerable “churn” with young people moving in and out NEET status (for example, only 41 of the 1,600 NEET young people in Manchester in 2005 had been NEET for two years).
• There are significant geographical concentrations (for example, 21 of the 41 long term NEETs were found to be teenage parents living in just four postcode areas).
• In addition to the known numbers of NEET young people, there are very high numbers of “unknowns” who are also likely to be NEET and mask the true scale of the problem (for example, Manchester “unknowns” were 17.7 per cent in November 2003). As all 16-18 year olds are entered onto the Connexions database unknowns are young people who are on the database but have no destination information. Destination information is confirmed and updated every three months to keep the records current.

There are also different ways to measure NEET levels. Using a residency or non-residency basis can significantly affect the NEET levels. For example Manchester’s NEET percentage would be much lower with a non-residency base as the Manchester Colleges enrol young people from outside the city. However, using a residency base gives a true picture of the real proportion of local young people who are NEET and resident in the city area. This allows Manchester City Council to offer, integrate and target other services at a specific location (for example Connexions Manchester can focus on 20 NEET young people in one ward and offer help with other needs such as housing if required).

As well as providing a detailed and geographical view of the NEET group the research found that while the vast majority of young people are placed at 16 a support structure is required to help keep them in their placement and to track their progress.

In response to this detailed evidence Manchester developed a distinct NEET programme of investment.The Manchester NEET Plan 2005-08 described the proposals for reducing the number of 16-18 year olds who were not in employment, education or training. After the reviewing the existing NEET plan Manchester also introduced an annual performance management plan. For example, the Manchester Achieve Economic Well Being Performance Management Action Plan for 2007/08 adopted the following priorities to ensure the delivery of targets:

1. Exceeding current performance in reducing the numbers of NEET and “unknowns” by identifying young people absent from classes, ensuring the alignment of funding and delivery activity for the NEET group and providing flexible training and employment support.
2. Geographical targeting of NEET producing schools, of providers with the highest levels of drop out and of key neighbourhoods with holistic family-focused policies.
3. Working with families to develop ‘early warning’ systems by extending data sharing to include Sure Start and primary school information and identifying young people and families at risk of becoming NEET.
4. Enhancing Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) and Labour Market Information (LMI) in schools.
5. Reducing returners to NEET through post employment and placement support.

Aligning funding and joint commissioningTop of page

Manchester’s Achieve Economic Wellbeing Group then pooled funding from a range of sources and aligned expenditure against the priorities identified and set out in the performance management plan.  Funding has included £295,000 from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF), £370,000 from the Deprived Area Fund (DAF), £1.05 million from the Learning and Skills Council and £12,000 from the Neighbourhood Support Fund (NSF). In addition to pooling discretionary funds Manchester’s Achieve Economic Wellbeing Group exerted influence over the direction of mainstream investment and activity in Connexions, school improvement services, regeneration, further education colleges and services for 14 to 19 year olds.

To ensure the maximum impact from these pooled funds Manchester’s Achieve Economic Wellbeing Group has aligned the procurement of NEET services to avoid the duplication of activity, to respond to gaps in provision and to minimise conflicting terms and eligibility in the funding criteria. For example, the local Learning and Skills Council and Manchester City Council jointly developed tendering arrangements so the next round of European Social Funding supports the NEET priorities.

The commissioning programme has been managed by the NEET co-ordinator with financial monitoring and procurement support provided by staff in the Economic and Urban Policy Group of Manchester City Council. Where possible consistent procurement and financial management approaches have been put in place. As a result Manchester has been able to fund projects from different sources including the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Deprived Area Fund and European Social Fund.

The main indicator relating to NEET and adopted in Manchester’s Local Area Agreement (2008-2010) is National Indicator 117 (NEET - Proportion 16-18 Not in Education Employment or Training – measured on the national basis). This indicator has been supplemented in the Local Area Agreement by a local measure of NEET levels together with indicators for NEET levels in specific groups including care givers, young offenders, those caring for their own child, young people with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities (LDD) and school leavers.

Programme of activities for the NEET GroupTop of page

Using these pooled resources, Manchester’s Achieve Economic Well Being Group then annually commissioned the development and delivery of engagement activities for Manchester NEET residents aged 16, 17 or 18 in November of each year and for those identified as at risk of becoming NEET.  The activities have been targeted on:

• specific groups (e.g. young offenders, teenage parents);
• areas (e.g. young people who are residents of one of the 17 priority wards); and
• economic priorities (e.g. increasing entrepreneurship levels, training for identified skill shortage areas).

All funded activity has had to achieve a number of common outcomes when engaging young people including the use of PEARL (Personal Employability – Achievement and Reflection for Learning) to assess beneficiaries, the development of an action plan for every beneficiary following a guidance interview with Connexions Manchester and establishing a Manchester 14-19+ Webfolio for every beneficiary.

PEARL is the first “performance assessed” award in the UK for behavioural, learning and employability skills which is recognised by the Qualifications Curriculum Authority. PEARL measures the developmental progress of an individual in a behavioural sense (for example, social, emotional competence and employability skills) and permits a focus on activity especially as assessment occurs through observation and interview. In the past NEET initiatives were hampered by accreditation frameworks restricting eligible activities and outcomes. The credibility of PEARL has been enhanced by the involvement of Manchester College, the largest further education provider in the City, in its development and assessor training, and by the adoption of PEARL by local employers such as Hilton Hotels.

The Manchester 14-19+ Webfolio is a web based tool that young people can use to plan their learning and record their achievements. The Webfolio is owned by the young person and other users can see parts of it by invitation only.

The focus has been on activities services that move a young person from being NEET to being ready, able and willing to engage in appropriate provision.
A wide range of engagement activities have been funded through this commissioning approach including:

• Youth workers identifying NEET young people and engaging them through a variety of activities including canoeing, cinema, bowling and mountain biking to a point where they are willing to use statutory services.
• The Volunteering to Employment project has engaged 30 young people who are care leavers and/or NEET in volunteering, training, educational and personal development activities.  In exchange for their commitment beneficiaries are supported through an intensive one year programme which leads to a guaranteed apprenticeship.
• Focussed on three wards, the Contact Theatre project offered drama drop in, performance skills, creative skills, stage management, set design and free style rapping.
• A bespoke course to help teenage parents.

Support for NEET producing SchoolsTop of page

The original research has allowed Manchester to target the five schools which produce the highest numbers of 16 to 18 years not in employment, education or training. The other 18 secondary schools in the city and a range of primary schools in Manchester have also been involved to varying degrees. The NEET programme has included a number of activities to help these schools tackle their NEET problem including:

• One-to-one planning, review and implementation meetings with the School Heads of the five targeted secondary schools as part of a NEET support and challenge approach.
• The production of NEET prevention guides for Head Teachers in both Primary and Secondary Schools and for Senior Managers in Colleges. A similar guide for training providers is planned once the new apprenticeship service is launched. Connexions Manchester are using these guides to agree NEET action plans with all 23 secondary schools.
• The production of Labour Market Information (LMI) for subject teachers in schools along with training for teachers on the use of this information in the production of classroom materials.
• Using a mixed package of activity, the Skills and Schools project raised awareness of post-16 educational opportunities and the world of work with children in the last two years of their primary schooling and with their teachers and families. This activity has been focussed on the 19 primary schools that feed the top five NEET producing schools.
• The engagement of young people in Year 9 and 10 who have been out of school for an extended period of time.
• The provision of additional Connexions Personal Adviser support to schools.

Implementing the NEET programme has also involved some changes in the service delivery roles of organisations in Manchester.  Connexions Manchester has moved to a “zero tolerance” of NEET and this has required changes in their approach to performance measurement. In 2003 it was possible to classify a young person as “not available” for opportunities but all Connexion clients are now classified as “available”. This has ensured that Connexions staff focussed on the potential of all clients for progression (for example, what support a teenage parent needs to start at college).

At the same time, it was also made mandatory that following a face to face interview with a Connexions client two “submissions to opportunities” or a “referral” had to result and an updated action plan had to be produced. Manchester also repositioned the role of voluntary sector as focussed on engaging and referring NEET groups to Manchester Connexions which then had the sole remit for moving young people into employment, education or training.

The impactTop of page

Manchester has halved the number of young people not in employment, education or training (including “unknowns”) in just four years. The known NEET level in Manchester has fallen from 14.2 per cent of 16-18 year olds in November 2003 to 8.4 per cent of 16-18 year olds in November 2007 and the number of “unknowns” has fallen from 9.8 per cent of 16-18 year olds to just 3.7 per cent. In total Manchester has reduced their known and unknown NEET level from 24 per cent of young people in November 2003 to just over 12 per cent in November. The original local Public Service Agreement target was achieved two years ahead of schedule.

In November 2007 the Annual Performance Assessment (APA) judged Manchester City Council’s performance on achieving economic well-being as Grade 3 (Good). In relation to NEET, the assessment reported that ‘the percentage of young people not in education, employment or training is reducing ahead of the Council’s targets. The figures for 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training compare favourably with statistical neighbour authorities. Overall the figures are a significant improvement and progress is good.’

The attitudes of School Heads have changed significantly in the top five NEET producing secondary schools and other secondary schools to recognise the school’s responsibility for addressing NEET issues and developing clear progression plans for all 16 year olds.

There has been a positive shift in the relationship between Manchester City Council and Manchester Connexions and between different departments within the City Council including Children’s Services, Economic Development and the Cultural Strategy Team, the latter two being part of the Chief Executive’s Office

The commonly assumed linkage between attainment levels pre-16 (which are low in Manchester and below the national average) and post-16 participation levels in education or work based learning (which are now above the national average in Manchester) is being challenged. As a result pre-16 attainment levels are no longer seen as a predictor of post-16 participation levels.

The performance management approach used by Manchester’s Achieve Economic Wellbeing Group with its evidence base, clear targets and output focus has the potential to be adopted more widely in service delivery.

The lessonsTop of page

Manchester City Council report a number of key lessons that have allowed a halving of their NEET levels amongst young people in just four years:

• There is a need for strong political support for NEET activities but this has always been a policy priority for Councillors in Manchester. Locating the NEET programme at the centre of the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Local Area Agreement and aligning it with the City Strategy has further strengthened this political support. As well as alignment with these key strategies, NEET reduction was a high priority within corporate policy development at Manchester City Council and the Learning and Skills Council.
• Clear linkages have been made between the NEET reduction agenda and the City’s wider worklessness and economic agenda through the City Strategy by Manchester City Council’s Economic and Urban Policy Unit and local regeneration teams (for example, the focus on tackling inter-generational unemployment and training young people for current and future job vacancies).
• Obtaining a thorough evidence base at the beginning of the NEET programme has helped to ensure a common analysis and understanding of the nature of the NEET problem and linked together the agendas of different partners. The situation in Manchester was different from the national picture so the local research was very necessary. This has been further enhanced by increasingly well developed data collection systems and resulted in an emphasis on preventative and targeted approaches which are intelligence-led.
• Despite the pooling of funds, Manchester’s NEET programme has a continued reliance on short term funding. This funding risk has been reduced by all partners having a common understanding about NEET issues so agreed initiatives can be resourced from mainstream funds and the commitment of schools maintained.
• Developing an agreed strategic plan which is regularly reviewed and adopting a rigorous performance management plan overseen by the Achieving Economic Well-being sub group of Manchester’s Children’s Board.
• Adopting a multi agency approach and avoiding relying on a single partner to reduce delivery risk. For example, the NEET programme will have to continue to perform successfully during planned organisational change such as the merger of MANCAT (Manchester College of Art and Technology) and Manchester City College in Sept 2008 and the abolition of the Learning and Skills Council in 2010.
• Ensuring a clearly identified and pivotal role for the Connexions service in Manchester.
• Alignment of a range of funding streams and securing significant investment from the local Learning and Skills Council.
• A common commissioning framework has ensured a focus on specific wards, groups and types of activities to deliver commonly agreed outcomes and to avoid the duplication of activity.
• The importance of developing effective relationships and communication. While it has taken time took for the NEET programme to identify effective contacts in all the necessary departments and organisations the partnership is works together effectively in a trusted way.
• By including personal development activities as part of employment, education and training outcomes.  Manchester see value in getting a young person onto an action plan and in doing some positive activity even if it is a three week football programme.  All staff and policy makers need to share this view about being flexible in the how engagement works and realistic about next steps for some young people.
• The appointment of a dedicated NEET Co-ordinator with strategic responsibility for the planning and implementation of the programme.
• The capacity to share and benefit from good practice across the region via Government Office for the North West networks.

FutureTop of page

In the future Manchester is further developing and embedding their NEET activities within the wider economic programmes for the City to ensure sustainability (for example, as part of the Achieve Economic Wellbeing Group’s forward plans and activities). Within this context planned future developments include:

• Researching the underlying characteristics and factors within the families of NEET young people to develop a typology and an ‘early warning system’ to develop the preventative measures necessary for a long term reduction in NEET levels.
• Using Manchester’s Achieve Economic Wellbeing Group and the Public Service Board as a foundation for the further alignment of public service activity. An initial step would be to assess where young people and their families are shared by service providers (for example, housing services, youth services and criminal justice services) and examining the potential for streamlined approaches to delivery.
• Planning the development of a Manchester curriculum with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) which would be competency based and draw on the cultural and work based traditions of the city.
• Expanding the number of competency rather than qualification based apprenticeship opportunities that are beginning to come forward from Manchester’s £700 million construction by extending the approach to the whole of Manchester’s £1.5 billion annual budget through effective procurement and contract management.

Further InformationTop of page

Wayne Shand, Head of Economic and Urban Policy, Manchester City Council
email w.shand@manchester.gov.uk
telephone 0161 234 1501

Sarah Ross, NEET Co-ordinator Manchester, Manchester City Council
email s.ross@manchester.gov.uk
telephone 0161 245 4924