Getting To Work On A Lost Generation

They pay no taxes, cost the country millions in maintenance and most are unlikely to vote in three weeks’ time. Disaffected, disenfranchised and disengaged, they are the so-called “Neet” generation.

As a constituency, they are perhaps the most politically apathetic section of the electorate, and one of the most marginalised. They are largely ignored in their daily lives, and could easily be so by politicians as well, wielding as they do such limited influence.

Yet the way they lead their lives, and in particular the impact of their behaviour on those who do vote, is occupying politicians of all parties.

Dehumanised by an ugly acronym that Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish businessman and philanthropist, finds “horrible”, and grossly caricatured as hoodie-wearing, Asbo-dodging idlers, they are forced to exist on the fringes, both economically and socially. They are perceived as failures, as problems that need to be fixed, and their individuality is denied by an indiscriminate label. But what is meant by “Neet”, which to many is now synonymous with “ned”?

It was coined by Whitehall civil servants at the Department for Education and Skills in a document published seven years ago entitled Transforming Youth Work, to categorise those young people “not in education, employment or training”.

About 15,000 young Scots – a disproportionate number compared to the UK as a whole – are thus classified. Almost 14% of Scottish school leavers are Neets, compared with slightly more than 10% in England. In Glasgow alone, almost one in every five in the age group is a Neet. They are 20 times more likely to commit a crime, and 22 times more likely to be a teenage mum.

So, why should we care about a lost generation that contributes nothing while leaning so heavily on the state? “Because we need to care about everyone in our society”, according to Professor Andrew Skinner, Scotland’s Chief Inspector of Social Work Services from 1992 until 2005.

Professor Skinner, who is now an associate consultant with the Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing, is uncomfortable with the term Neet. In fact, he would prefer it were not used as it suggests there is a homogeneous horde of young people whose problems are common.

“It’s not helpful to group young people in this way under such a heading, as they are all individuals,” he says. “I think we need to distinguish the different aspects of this experience and determine how best to support young people in meeting the different challenges they face in their lives.”

While Neet has gained currency as a buzzword and is touted by many as a new phenomena, others believe it is merely an old one repackaged with a new name. They cite terms such as Yopper, used during the 1980s to describe a person employed under Margaret Thatcher’s solution to the same problem, the much-maligned Youth Opportunities Programme, as having the same meaning as Neet.

But Professor Skinner does not believe in a single problem, and therefore is averse to a single solution. “It really is several different phenomena linked together and it is necessary to separate them out,” he says. “Individuals go through their journeys and at different times have different problems, so I do not think it is right to think of these young people as forming a separate group.

“Nevertheless, we have to address the issue in our communities and our society of childhood in the modern world, and how we help children to flourish throughout their lives so they are real contributors and benefit and do well.

“Most of them do, actually. I think young people today are terrific, I think they have fantastic relationships: I am thinking of the inter-generational friendships and cross-gender friendships young people now form. In general, young people in Scotland today are terrific in terms of their contributions and the ways they support and help each other and develop their potential for the future.”

He adds: “I think there is a danger that we are unfairly demonising young people. We need to be clear about the importance of the early years up to about five and how they then influence life thereafter, and so it is very important that all children have a very positive experience and that they are able to develop their strengths and resilience and capacity for love and engagement.

“It has to be about individuals, and be done on a person-by-person basis. People have different issues in terms of their education, their social activities. That is the crux of it.”

The cost of addressing the myriad of problems and shortcomings that result in so many young people finding themselves detached from the mainstream and drifting is hefty. However, ignoring them could prove more costly. Earlier this week, for the first time, a price tag was put on Scotland’s so-called “lost generation”, and it wasn’t cheap.

Academics from the London School of Economics estimate that young jobless people are costing Scotland £1.7bn every year as a result of crime, lost productivity and educational under-achievement. That makes the overall annual cost to the Scottish economy of their idleness, criminality and lost earnings the equivalent of £340 for every man, woman and child in the country.

The problem appears mammoth and insurmountable. However, one way of reversing the fortunes of young people that is already showing signs of success is volunteering. Project Scotland, the charity that helps to find volunteering opportunities for young people in the 16 to 25 age group, claims it is enjoying success rates well beyond initial expectations.

While 27% of those young people who become involved with the charity are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, fewer than half of them end up back on it afterwards. “We are trying to make volunteering cool,” says Derek Scobie, of Project Scotland.

“We want to make it acceptable to young people as a means of developing themselves and to do stuff in their local community. Before we were around, charities and not-for-profit organisations found it very difficult to engage young people, and young people saw no reason why they should engage with them.”

The trick to engaging them, according to Scobie, is to find volunteering placements that young people will not dismiss as drudgery, but instead find interesting. That is easier said than done.

He addS: “People from more disadvantaged backgrounds often have the belief that they need a proper job or it’s not worthwhile working. Quite often, they won’t get off benefits because what they are offered is so paltry.”

The demise of apprenticeship schemes has had a devastating effect on young people living in areas of Scotland where heavy industry once dominated. Last year there were more than 6000 unfilled hospitality and tourism-related jobs in Glasgow alone, despite more than 100,000 jobless people of working age in the city. For many Scots whose parents or grandparents were skilled workers, working in a hotel or a call centre is not to be considered.

There are some quality apprenticeships still available – BAE Systems, the defence contractor that owns the Upper Clyde’s two remaining shipyards, has recruited more than 300 in the past few years – but in general they are scarce.

The volunteering placements are about instilling discipline and self-control, and are full-time. In return, the volunteers receive a subsistence allowance, a payment of £55 a week, which is £10 more than Jobseeker’s Allowance. This is made to ensure that volunteers are not discouraged from participating for fear of losing their income from benefits.

Importantly, Project Scotland is not just for the so-called Neets, even though about a third of its volunteers fall into that category. Another third are graduates, and on some projects people from both groups work alongside each other.

“Part of that informal mixing is one of the things we are trying to deliver”, said Scobie.

“Sometimes just taking people out of their regular surroundings is all you need to do to raise their aspirations. If they remain within their own community all the time they can get stuck in a rut.”