YOUTH & WORK/ A changing perspective on the NEET challenge
For several years there has been talk of NEETs and it is not easy to face the challenge represented by these young people who neither study nor work.
Back in 2013, the European Union launched the ambitious "Youth Guarantee" project, which, building on some good practices implemented in Germany, for example, aimed to combat youth unemployment and simultaneously promote employment, preferably of high-quality, for young people.
In particular, the issue of NEETs emerged, that is, those young people who do not work and are not even looking for work, nor are they enrolled in a training or education path.
These already critical figures have further worsened following the major socioeconomic crisis linked to Covid-19 and the implications for our labor markets of the epochal green and digital transformations currently underway.
Within this framework, studies and research have multiplied, exploring the topic from various perspectives. One of the most recent, for example, is the one published by the research center of Gi Group, one of Italy's leading employment agencies.
The study reflects the analysis of what emerged on the Dedalo Portal, a virtual discussion forum created by the agency itself, together with various institutions but also important private companies, to reflect on a phenomenon that, today, is estimated to affect, in our country alone, 1,337,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 29, rising to 2,079,000 for the "young" between the ages of 15 and 34 (still young?).
Indeed, we risk failing to fully capitalize on the potential that new generations can contribute to our communities and, at the same time, limiting their legitimate aspirations for personal and professional growth. To do this, we could analyze the best practices currently being implemented around the world in this area and attempt to "copy" them and adapt them to different contexts.
It is recommended, however, first of all, to change the 360-degree perspective, not starting from the fact that these young people are "not in employment, education, or training," but thinking about the contribution they can, nevertheless, make through skills that are certainly "different" from those possessed by the more mature and responsible generations, at least on an identity card.
It is then necessary to work with innovative solutions to address the deeper causes of this phenomenon by rethinking, among other things, the career guidance system and the management of the transition between school and work.
A dimension in which, certainly, private entities, such as employment agencies, can also make a valuable contribution by supporting, rather than opposing, the public bodies involved in various capacities in defining and implementing policies in this sensitive area.
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