Ministers call for better tracking of teenagers at risk of dropping out of work or training in England

Ministers are demanding councils and schools in England improve tracking of teenagers at risk of becoming “phantom Neets” after revealing 32,100 people aged 16 to 17 are unaccounted for, with only four councils holding complete information on the group’s whereabouts. The government published the figures on Thursday, warning that thousands of vulnerable young people are missing out on support because local authorities lack complete data [1]. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was writing to all councils to demand improvements, and to 26 of the worst-affected authorities — those unaware of the activities of 3% or more of their teenagers — with expectations for improvement plans to be agreed over the next six months [1]. “Accurate, timely tracking is not a box-ticking exercise, it’s the difference between a young person getting support early or falling through the cracks entirely,” Phillipson said [1]. The push comes against a backdrop of a worsening youth jobs crisis. A major report by former health secretary Alan Milburn in May warned Britain risked creating a “lost generation” amid a rise in the number of Neets to more than 1 million [1]. Official statistics published in March estimate 57,000 16- and 17-year-olds are Neet [1]. The quality of data collection varies significantly across the country. Ministers highlighted North Lincolnshire council, which is missing information for nearly half of its 16- and 17-year-olds [1]. Research from the Resolution Foundation showed that in Dudley, West Midlands, more than one in five 16- to 17-year-olds had fallen off the local authority’s records, compared with fewer than one in 50 in London boroughs including Barnet and Ealing [1]. The demographic context underscores the stakes. Generation Z, typically defined as people born from 1997 to 2012, has been described as more focused on school and job prospects than previous generations, with fewer teenage pregnancies and lower alcohol consumption [3]. Yet members of this cohort, who grew up as “digital natives” with Web 2.0 and digital technology, may still struggle in a digital or virtual workplace [3]. Millennials, born from 1981 to 1996, faced high levels of youth unemployment and economic disruption after the Great Recession and the COVID-19 recession, earning the label “Unluckiest Generation” in some Western countries [4]. Phillipson said fixing the tracking problem was “one of the defining challenges of this government” and crucial to the country’s prosperity [1]. “We’re supporting councils to intervene early to help as part of our new deal for young people to ensure they realise their potential through worthwhile training and stable careers,” she said [1]. New guidance for schools and colleges is also being published to help teachers identify and support pupils most likely to drop out [1].