Conceptualising the lives of NEET young people: structuration theory and ‘disengagement’

Abstract

Official discourse in the United Kingdom and many other OECD countries emphasises education and training as a vehicle for social inclusion and economic growth. Accordingly, those who do not participate are seen to be at risk of long-term exclusion. However, interventions aimed at re-engaging young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) can be ineffective or counter-productive. This article presents findings from the first year of a 3-year ethnography of NEET young people in the north of England and examines the opportunities and barriers experienced by NEET young people as they attempt to negotiate the complex territory following the end of compulsory education. Drawing on Giddens' structuration theory, we discuss young people's actions and the narratives underlying their decisions about post-school education, work and training. The article explores the limitations young people experience and the interplay of agency and structure for those on the margins of education and employment.

Keywords:

• NEET young people
• ethnography
• structuration theory
• structure and agency

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Leverhulme Trust in funding the research upon which this article is based. We are also grateful for the support of the Aspire Trust. We would like to thank the young people and practitioners who participated in the research.

Notes

1.Connexions is the integrated advice and guidance service for young people in England aged 13–19.

2.The life history maps provide a means of eliciting the key life events of a young person during an initial meeting. The maps summarise details such as date of birth, family background and domestic circumstances and educational experiences. LR recorded these details as the young person talked, allowing them to voice events important to them. The maps have been revisited with participants several times and used to build on the initial interview to add and amend information as the participant recalls past events and as new events occur. We are indebted to Professor Tracy Shildrick of Teesside University for suggesting this approach.

3.Foundation Learning was introduced in England in 2010 to provide a more qualifications-driven replacement for earlier work-based learning programmes aimed at young people at risk of social exclusion.

4.EMA was a means-tested allowance of up to £30 per week payable to young people attending certain forms of post-compulsory education and training. It was discontinued at the end of 2010 by the Coalition Government.

5.A Giro is a form of payment often used for welfare benefits in the United Kingdom. It does not require the recipient to have a bank account.