By Rie Thomsen, Tristram Hooley, Helle Hansen Rosing & Lene Andersen
In this article we suggest that it is important to understand NEET as a situation in time and place rather than as a type of person. In small communities and on islands, distance, culture, limited local options and language matter. The article reports from a national meeting in Nuuk and draws from practice across the Nordic region and beyond that may be able to improve support for young people who are experiencing periods of being NEET. It spotlights settlement-based upskilling, practice-based learning in Pilersitsiviit, youth entrepreneurship and outreach that meet young people where they are. The message is clear, early guidance, strong local networks and flexible routes back into learning and work can turn short breaks into new starts.
NEET stands for “Not in Employment, Education or Training”. In policy and research the term is often individualised as a label applied to the young person. In this article we instead speak of NEET situations to emphasise temporality and spatiality. A NEET situation is produced by the interaction between the person and their circumstances, including local opportunities, services and obligations. The likelihood of young people experiencing periods of NEET situations therefore varies across places and over time and should be understood as a temporary situation rather than a fixed personal attribute. While we use the concept of NEET situations throughout the article to emphasise temporality and context, we also refer to NEET when making international comparisons, as this is the statistical term used in administrative registers and databases to describe young people’s status.