People make the difference
Recently I read an excellent article by Angela Smith titled: How can FE providers effectively communicate with NEET young people? FE providers are Further Education colleges and NEET means not in education employment or training. FE colleges are the most likely step for NEETs to take – starting a course which could lead to training and possibly an apprenticeship and or a work placement.
The government’s target for 2010 was to reduce NEETs to 7.6%, but UCU statistics show it is at 9.8%; and Angela’s article gave excellent tips on how Colleges can effectively engage NEET young people. She made reference to a great partnership between Blackburn and Darwen’s Connexions, which have seen their NEET numbers fall to 6.7%. I found it particularly interesting the article [which you can read here] made reference to Red Bull and the reason their campaigns to young people are so successful. It is engagement; and Red Bull has understood their audience, so dialogues WITH them. It has a clear message – who they are aiming at and what their values are; and young people can identify and ‘buy’ into that! So could this approach be adopted in education? Absolutely! Especially for NEETs who have issues and need to be engaged with to see that there is life other than what they know. For them, they are constantly told what to do and so far it hasn’t worked apart from the case above. They have dialogued ‘with’ not ‘to’, and it clearly has made a difference.
The one point I would add (which may be obvious!) is that such a campaign is only as good and successful as the people behind it – especially those who will implement it. The ‘frontline’ workers who will often sit down with the young people and go through the options, providing advice to each NEET depending on their social and personal circumstance are the people who make the difference. How many times have we heard of teachers who made a difference in people’s lives? All the time! “It was because Mr X or Mrs Y who took the time to sit with me, that made a difference to my education”; and to me this is no different. Yes a vision can be set out but for it to actually make the difference, workers need to encouraged and empowered to go the extra mile to realise the extra rewards. So what are your thoughts? Who has anyone made a difference in your life?
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