Assessing the potential of e-learning to support re-engagement amongst young people with NEET status

Don PasseySadie WilliamsColin RogersDepartment of Educational ResearchLancaster University

A case for using ICT? Young people who are NEET generally find decision making difficultReasons for this vary, from having limited ideas of opportunities, to having trauma in their lives, to having limited strategies for choosing viable optionsThe study identified some notable exemplars of practice where ICT was used effectively to support young people who were NEET There are likely to be differences in terms of the ICT that will support different categories identified (EERs, NEERs, ALTs, MULPs)

Uses of ICT and broad categories

A range of solutions? Young people who are NEET favour practical, creative and social opportunitiesEvidence indicates that ICT used within courses can support the engagement of young people, but also indicates that groups of young people may well need certain levels of specific support ICT has been used to support the development of literacy and numeracy in learning environments where small numbers of young people attendThe needs of some ethnic minority groups should be considered carefully, both in terms of provision for access by girls, and interest in and willingness to share community or family access

Courses and uses of ICT

Current uses ICT is often not used a great deal in processes concerned with providing information to young people who have low levels of literacy skills Young people who are NEET do not necessarily have lower levels of access to technology than their counterparts in EET ICT has the potential to increase the width of ideas and choice that many young people who are NEET lack ICT can play a major central role where the focus is on creative media Some provider courses offer models of effective practice, integrating uses of ICT in a range of ways

Uses of ICT by boys and girls

Technologies accessed by young people

Technologies used by young people

Current limitations ICT was often used by support agencies more for administrative purposes than it was for engaging or supporting young people directly There was no overall ICT policy or funding policy for ICT across support agency services Providers had no guidance in place, or policies concerned with how to consider effective uses of ICT to support young people who were NEET At a provider level, uses of ICT needed to be reviewed to ensure that full benefits were arising

Implementation concernsThere is a need for solutions that involve ICT (as well as those that do not), to develop certain features if they are to be of long term value

relevant and valued distal goalsknowledge of the links between the present activities with valued distal goalshigh levels of self-efficacy in relation to those activities

At a provider level, multi-practice workshops integrating ICT could be developed in each region At a provider level, creative media workshops using ICT could be developed in each region Creative media workshop facilities need not be restricted to those who can access centres in urban areas

Strategic concernsUses of ICT to support young people who are NEET are at early stages of practiceA wider range of practice using ICT within alternative curriculum provision could be usefully explored It appears vital that key groups support policies in terms of both ICT development and ICT funding Concepts of critical masses of ICT facilities need to be introduced as a means for 14-19 consortia to review provision The roles of ICT in supporting young people who are NEET need to be more widely discussed and accessible to providers There is a need for many employers to be aware of the roles that ICT can play in supporting some young people If ICT could be used to support seamless working across agencies, and time commitment in providing appropriate and adequate support, then it could be both time saving and offer benefits to the young people