Problem statement
Transitions into employment for young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) present significant challenges, requiring robust support systems. A critical issue is the need to invest in human capital to facilitate these transitions effectively. Across Europe, there is a broad consensus that work-based learning is pivotal in empowering NEETs to enter the workforce quickly. This type of learning enables NEETs to acquire essential professional and social skills, thereby enhancing their employability.
Work-based learning offers NEETs practical opportunities to apply technical and academic skills in real-world settings while simultaneously developing vital employability skills such as communication, teamwork, time management, and problem-solving. Additionally, it provides valuable industry insights, helping NEETs understand workplace expectations, improve career readiness, and refine their career interests and goals. This learning model includes on-the-job experiences like apprenticeships, internships, cooperative education, and project-based learning with industry partners, as well as off-the-job experiences such as close-to-real simulations.
Despite its benefits, the availability and quality of work-based learning opportunities remain insufficient. Addressing this issue is a primary objective of initiatives like the reinforced Youth Guarantee and the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA), as well as the Union of Skills. Within this EU policy framework, organisations like Cedefop are actively engaged in gathering evidence and fostering cooperation across Member States to support policy-making aimed at easing NEETs' transitions into employment.
Beneficiaries
Addressing the problem
The following tips may be useful for policy makers and practitioners involved in the design and delivery of interventions to help NEETs transitioning into employment.
There is significant value in empowering young people , understand their strengths and learning preferences, and explore their professional aspirations. Access to high-quality career guidance is essential in helping them build career management skills and shape personalised learning or career plans. This guidance supports smoother transitions into the workforce by giving young people a sense of ownership over their career decisions, while also helping them set realistic expectations.
Effective career planning may incorporate informal learning opportunities that build competences valued by employers, as well as hands-on activities that facilitate practical work experience. For NEETs, it is especially important to ensure that they have acquired core employability skills before engaging in work-based learning, particularly within companies. These skills include not only basic knowledge and competences but also social or transversal skills and competences like problem solving or teamwork, as well as demonstrating a positive attitude and respectful behaviour.
Education and training providers play a critical role not only in enhancing the employability of young people but also in challenging and changing negative perceptions among employers regarding the motivation and capabilities of NEETs.
Incentivising employers to offer work experience opportunities to NEETs can involve both financial and non-financial measures.
Non-financial incentives may include fostering partnerships between employers and organisations that support NEETs, such as schools, public employment services (PES), social services, and youth NGOs. These partnerships can help employers recognise the economic and social value of engaging young people who bring enthusiasm and untapped potential into the world of work. Additionally, such collaboration allows employers to promote their sectors and workplaces to a broader talent pool, potentially attracting motivated recruits.
Another effective approach is the use of intermediary or promoting bodies that work with groups of employers. These bodies can coordinate the administrative aspects of apprenticeships or other forms of on-the-job training, thereby reducing the time and resource burden for individual employers.
On the financial side, recruitment subsidies can encourage employers to offer apprenticeship placements specifically targeted at NEETs. However, these incentives should be carefully designed and monitored to ensure they serve their intended purpose and genuinely benefit the target group. Financial incentives are often most effective when complemented by non-financial supports, creating a more holistic and sustainable model for employer engagement.
For many young people, work-based learning is their first contact with the world of work. Ensuring that this is a positive experience will help to increase their motivation to complete their learning programme, attain a qualification and enter the labour market.
A key part of this is fostering a welcoming and inclusive workplace environment that offers real opportunities for learning and growth. It is also important to manage learners’ expectations by addressing any potential mismatches between their perceptions and the realities of the profession before the placement begins.
Several measures can help ensure the success of work-based learning:
- Written agreements between the training provider, the company, and the learner that clearly outline the training objectives, planned activities, and working conditions (including working hours).
- Mechanisms to ensure employer compliance with their training responsibilities, such as periodic quality checks conducted by external agencies or trade unions.
- Regular feedback mechanisms, including scheduled check-ins with tutors from the vocational education and training provider or workplace mentors, to monitor progress and address any challenges the learner may face.
- Conflict mediation processes to resolve any issues between the learner and the in-company trainer or employer, ensuring that problems do not derail the learning experience.
These and other measures to promote inclusive work-based learning environments are described further in the VET toolkit for tackling early leaving.
Entrepreneurial skills development goes beyond raising NEETs’ awareness of self-employment as a career option. An entrepreneurial mindset is characterised by initiative, independent thinking and decisive action where necessary. Developing NEETs’ entrepreneurial skills and attitudes contributes to their successful transition into employment by promoting their ownership of their career choices. This, in turn, enhances their motivation to work (see Cedefop, 2023).
Career guidance and mentoring programmes play an important role in giving NEETs the opportunity to be involved in entrepreneurial activities that will allow them to identify and capitalise on business and employment opportunities. Entrepreneurship education programmes across Europe are increasing, expanding the scope for employment and social services to collaborate with schools and training providers to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of NEETs.
Expected outcomes
Expected outcomes from easing transitions into work for NEETs include enhanced employability and smoother integration into the labour market. By investing in work-based learning opportunities, NEETs can develop essential professional and social skills, bridging the gap between education and employment. This approach not only boosts their confidence and motivation but also increases their chances of gaining sustainable employment. Furthermore, fostering partnerships between employers and organisations supporting NEETs can broaden the talent pool, ultimately contributing to reduced youth unemployment rates and a more dynamic and inclusive workforce.
The positive outcomes can be expected at different levels:
