Sam decided not to take the final exams as she found a precarious seasonal employment during summer in the tourism sector. Sam never qualified in upper secondary education since then and was employed in several precarious low skilled jobs. Today Sam is 27 years old, has been unemployed for more than three years and is unable to find any employment matching her skills. She is discouraged to go back to education and training.

Early leavers from education and training are at great risk of becoming NEETs. NEETs are a diverse group with complex needs, encompassing individuals with low education level and disadvantaged personal backgrounds. NEETs can be re-entrants, short-term or long-term unemployed; unavailable due to family responsibilities, illness or disability; or even discouraged and disengaged youth.

Find more about the NEETs profiles in the VET toolkit for empowering NEETs.