Written by Megan Ward. Megan is the Communications & Public Affairs Officer for the Centre for Britain and Europe and has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Surrey.

Centre for Britain and Europe Background

At the Centre for Britain and Europe (CBE), our talented team ensures our projects remain relevant, impactful, and at the forefront of public debate. With a strong track record of high-quality reports, conferences, and community-driven research, we are committed to supporting Surrey and beyond through clear and collaborative work. This September, our work on NEETs was showcased at the High Sheriff’s Garden Party, and we will present findings from our State of the Sector report at Surrey Community Action’s Charity Mash-Up. Building on our partnership with the High Sheriff, Peter Cluff, we are addressing the urgent challenges facing young people at risk of becoming NEET and creating stronger networks of collaboration across Surrey.

Supporting Young People in Surrey

Over the last year, CBE has collaborated with the High Sheriff of Surrey, Peter Cluff, on numerous initiatives to support young people in the county. Most notably, the initial published analysis, Unseen Surrey: An Exploratory Overview of the NEET Crisis, was commissioned by the High Sheriff. Peter’s shrieval year focus is to address and support young people who are (or are at risk of becoming) NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) in Surrey. Together with Peter, the CBE has aimed to develop targeted and earlier interventions to help ensure these young people have a better economic and social future.

The Unseen Surrey report proposed that young people are vulnerable to becoming NEET from the age of 4, when passing through ‘the system’, with various points at which individuals can drop out, remaining unidentified until the age of 18. In Surrey, 8.4% of young people fall into the NEET and ‘at-risk’ cohort. Considering that the broader economic impact, encompassing lost productivity and earnings, equates to £104,000 per NEET individual over their lifetime, initiatives to support young people from as young as possible should be a priority on a national scale. With a predicted 36.6% increase in residents aged 65 and over by 2047, it is critical to invest in the next generation. Equipping young people with the skills they need to thrive in the workforce is essential for a sustainable future.

NEET or…?

The term NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) carries negative connotations, particularly due to its deficit-based framing. As such, discussions are currently underway to adopt a more positive and inclusive term that better reflects the potential and lived experiences of the young people it describes. For clarity and consistency, the term “NEET” will be used throughout this piece, in line with current definitions, while a revised term is being developed.

Next Steps for NEETs Conference

To discuss plans and begin collaborative efforts from stakeholders across Surrey, CBE hosted a ‘Next Steps for NEETs’ conference in May, with a keynote from Tim Oliver, the leader of Surrey County Council. Participants at this event identified disconnected stakeholders across the NEET network, causing both duplication and missed opportunities, fragmented data systems, short-term funding models, rigid academic thresholds and other imperfect methods. These factors, as a result, prevent young people (ages 16-18) exhibiting signs of exclusion or harm from sliding into the NEET category.

The May conference concluded with 5 key takeaways summarised from the working (breakout) groups and overall input:

• We aim to create a Community of Practice (CoP) network for Surrey-based NEETS stakeholders: to better collaborate in research and data sharing.
• We need to better identify those at risk of being NEET: to better provide preventative support.
• We aim to improve the language around NEETs: to improve confidence and self-esteem, enhancing the voices of young people.
• We need to identify what works best for Surrey: to set achievable targets.
• We need to make future pathways more accessible: to broaden alternative academic and professional routes.

These important discussions were then constructed in a conclusive Rapporteur Report, identifying 4 shrieval opportunities for the High Sheriff and outlining what this network and collaboration would look like moving forward, in the hopes of receiving multi-year funding to showcase the development of the cohort of young people in Surrey.

From Insight to Action Meeting

To support the emerging CoP, the CBE invited key stakeholders from statutory services, education providers, and charities to a ‘Next Steps for NEETs II: From Insight to Action’ meeting in July. The meeting developed what the core concept of the CoP would look like and discussed how to best begin using pilot projects to give alternative opportunities to young people, through two group discussions with the stakeholders.

Outcomes at the meeting included participants identifying fragmented data systems, short-term funding models and rigid academic thresholds as key barriers that obscure ‘unknown’ at-risk profiles and undermine long-term, relationship-based support. Yet, the convening also provided a clear blueprint for action: establishing a ‘Community of Practice’ to align resources and strategy; embedding trauma-informed, year-long mentoring relationships beginning in primary school; and deploying geospatial data ‘stacking’ to create a simple traffic-light index of what works for Surrey. 

“I remain confident that a CoP approach ensures that intervention-based approaches are not designed in silos but instead reflect a holistic understanding of the challenges, how to work with them, and produce short, medium and long-term opportunities to tackle the wide range of issues that NEETs in Surrey face.” – Professor Amelia Hadfield

“As with many stigmatised and often invisible populations, data on NEETs is typically siloed. By combining complementary datasets, including qualitative insights and geospatial information, we can build a fuller picture and better address the wider patterns affecting NEETs in Surrey.” – Maya Chew

CBE’s newest report, Next Steps for NEETs: From Insight to Action, builds on the many conversations in May, July and directly with stakeholders, that were sparked by the published analysis in March, revealing just how urgently the system needs to change. The report highlights the main discussion points from the July meeting and includes case studies from projects elsewhere in the country, demonstrating that our proposed pilot projects are both practical and achievable within Surrey’s existing structures. The report concludes with a clear set of next steps and recommendations:

Over the past year, the NEET-focused events and conversations have sparked a genuine wave of collaboration across Surrey, bringing together stakeholders who are learning to work collectively for greater impact. By convening these networks, CBE has been able to continue its partnership with the High Sheriff and many others committed to supporting young people at risk of becoming NEET. These strengthened connections have only enhanced our wider work—from the ongoing State of the Sector research with Surrey Community Action to the launch of our new monthly CBE Blog series, which will draw on the expertise of our entire team. Together, these efforts are laying the foundations for a stronger, more inclusive Surrey where young people and communities can thrive.