New research on NEETs in the North East of England
Holly Papworth
The North East has the highest NEET rate in England. In August 2026 we ran two online focus groups with 17 to 23 year olds in Sunderland and the surrounding area who are not in education, employment or training, to understand how they ended up out of work or study, what life is like now, and what they want to see change.
What we heard is that becoming NEET is rarely a failure of ambition or effort. It is usually a life event that knocks a plan off course, and a safety net that does not catch the young person when it does. These young people were applying constantly and were clear eyed about how competitive the market is. Most were still waiting for an employer to take a chance on them.
The report sets out 14 findings, including the role of early bad experiences of work, the lack of support around neurodiversity and anxiety, and why so few of these young people found employment support useful. The research was carried out for Education Development Trust.
To talk to us about this research, contact Holly Papworth, [email protected]
You can download the report here.
You can also see further new research for the Education Development Trust on NEETs here.