AQW 36822/11-15


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 01/10/2014
Answered On Date: 10/10/2014
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning what steps his Department has taken to advertise further and higher education as an accessible and viable option for young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training.


Answer:
My Department has a keen interest in promoting participation for all young people into education, including those who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), and actively promotes further and higher education through the ‘Skills to Succeed’ communications campaign, which includes strands on Essential Skills, Apprenticeships, Training for Success, Foundation Degrees and ‘Reach Higher’ which encourages widening participation in higher education – also referred to below.
In addition, my Department’s Careers Service supports all 16 and 17 years olds who are NEET.  Careers advisers currently work with these individuals to ensure they receive information, advice and guidance tailored specifically to their individual needs.  This includes advice on a range of options including provision offered within both further and higher education.
Further education colleges currently offer an extensive range of courses as part of their curriculum provision from non-accredited, beginner courses, up to and including Level 5 provision. These courses are marketed proactively by colleges using their websites and prospectuses and by the active use of a variety of advertising opportunities through local press publications and also through social media. As part of their widening access and participation plans, colleges also provide community information events which are targeted at under-represented groups including young people in NEET situations. 
In addition, where colleges are delivering projects under the Collaboration Innovation Fund, the European Social Fund or the Department for Social Development’s Neighbourhood Renewal, the young people participating are made aware of opportunities for progression to mainstream programmes in further and higher education.
Regarding higher education, my Department launched its Reach Higher advertising campaign in early 2014, running a series of advertisements across a variety of outlets including television, radio and adshels/billboards. This campaign was intended to increase awareness of the potential value, accessibility and benefits of higher education to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In addition, the Department has also been working closely with all higher education institutions to promote Foundation Degrees. This promotion campaign started in 2013 and will continue to run throughout 2014/15, communicating the message that a Foundation Degree can equip any individual with a combination of technical skills, academic knowledge and other vital skills to help secure employment. There are a wide range of subjects on offer, and the flexibility to study part time makes Foundation Degrees more attractive and accessible.
In May 2012, the Northern Ireland Executive agreed a cross-departmental strategy specifically for those young people in the Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) category, the “Pathways to Success” strategy. ‘Pathways to Success’ has a particular focus on helping those young people who face barriers to participation, while also dovetailing with complementary proposals to tackle the wider problem of youth unemployment in the current challenging economic context.
The strategy, which is led and implemented by DEL, is made up of a three tier package aimed at:
preventing young people missing opportunities for education and training, and/or becoming unemployed;
helping young people in the 16-18 age group, especially those facing barriers; and
assisting unemployed young people aged 18-24 more generally.
In respect of further and higher education, the ‘Pathways to Success’ strategy specifically states that: “a range of measures are in place in recognition that young people who enrol on further education provision may require encouragement, motivation and support to complete their studies”.
In addition to the programmes I have outlined above, there are three programmes that are directly focused on those young people facing barriers to employment, education and training. Firstly, the Collaboration and Innovation Fund, which is aimed at exploring new approaches to address the specific and general employability barriers faced by those young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Funding of over £9.2 million has been allocated to 24 organisations from the community, voluntary and educational sectors to deliver project activity between December 2012 and March 2015. To date, 3,910 young people have commenced project activities, and of the 2,488 leaving the programme 1,781 have completed activities and 1,296 have moved into positive outcomes of employment (363), education (306) and training (627).
Secondly, the Community Family Support Programme, which focuses on the needs of the most disadvantaged families, to enable young people to re-engage with employment, education, or training. This programme has received further financial support from OFMDFM, and has been designated as a Signature Project under the Delivering Social Change initiative. Currently there are 118 participants on the programme who are aged 16 to18.
Finally, the Local Employment Intermediary Service (LEMIS), which is an initiative designed to help unemployed people in the community overcome those issues that may be preventing them from finding and keeping a job.  During the period April 2013 to August 2014, LEMIS case loaded 4,092 individuals to the programme and 1,587 (38%) of these were young people aged 16-24 not engaged in education, employment or training. As a result, 502 (31%) young people moved into positive destinations, 229 (14%) commenced employment, 248 (15%) commenced training and 25 (1.5%) moved into education.