NEET: What if you are Not in Education, Employment, or Training?

Many young people are at risk of social exclusion or face important challenges in finding opportunities for education or work.

The term NEET refers to those individuals and stands for Not in Education, Employment, or Training. It refers to young people, typically aged between 15 and 29, who are not currently participating in formal education, not employed, and not engaged in any vocational training or skill development programs.

Such was the case of G., a young migrant in Italy, who had dropped out of school and was looking for a job. He turned to a job placement agency, which, in collaboration with the Vedogiovane organization, was assisting teenagers who had dropped out of school.

The person in charge of the job agency, Valeria, met G. for a job interview. The boy didn’t know where to start, what to do with his life, or what skills he had. He had no dreams, desires, or work experience… he came there with the request to create a CV.

Valeria asked him about himself, about his free time, and the time he spent with his friends. She was trying to extract some basic information about his personality, in order to perhaps discover a talent, something that he could use. At first, G. didn’t understand and didn’t answer… it took time and quite a bit of conversation before his great passion for motorcycles was finally revealed. He said he had a motorcycle and used to not only repair it but also dismantle and reassemble it from scratch on his own. Valeria saw his eyes light up and knew she had found what she was looking for.

The area where G. lived is full of factories, which needed people with his knowledge and passion. The organization and the agency connected him with such a factory, and the managers recognized both his skills and his potential, since he was very young and could learn a lot, specialize, and take on various tasks. G. got the job, does something he truly enjoys, and is no longer a “Not in…”

His case embodies the key ingredients for success: support, education, opportunities, and guidance, making it an inspiration for every young person seeking professional integration in the host country, even when they have to start almost from scratch.

Through the Erasmus+ project SIDE, in which six non-profit organizations from Greece, Italy, and Spain collaborate, we will create an Educational Guide for a holistic approach to the employment integration of young people.

*This story was shared with us by the Vedogiovane organization, with which we collaborate on the implementation of the SIDE project.