Cheshire pupils practise job interviews as UK NEET numbers near one million

Pupils at a Cheshire secondary school are practising job interviews, including how to shake hands and make eye contact, as part of careers lessons intended to prepare them for work. The classes come as nearly one million people aged 16 to 24 across the UK are estimated to be not in education, employment or training (NEET).

At Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, Year 10 pupils practise answering interview questions and introducing themselves. Later lessons cover CV writing and workplace rights. The school offers dedicated careers lessons every fortnight alongside its usual classes.

Fourteen-year-old Myla said practising interviews in Year 10 was “not too early”, as pupils might start looking for part-time work in two years. It could help them manage their nerves, she said.

The school says it has made careers education a priority from the time pupils join. Year 7 pupils take part in a speed-networking event with local employers, while employability principles such as resilience and problem-solving are incorporated into lessons.

Careers teacher Paisley Charlton said the aim was to help pupils feel confident in interviews, seek work experience and speak positively about themselves. Head teacher Ellen Walton said the school worked to ensure pupils were in education, employment or training when they left.

The school reported that no pupil had become NEET on leaving at 18 since it overhauled its careers education a couple of years ago. That is the school’s account of its own pupils; the article does not give a cohort size or comparison with other schools.

Youth Careers Collective chief executive Matt Lent said schools and employers both had a role, arguing that young people needed opportunities to develop workplace skills and that employers should create accessible routes into work. He cautioned that careers preparation alone would not resolve the NEET problem.

Schools and colleges in England are required to provide a careers programme, including expanded work-experience opportunities, and to use the updated Gatsby Benchmarks to structure careers education. Gatsby Foundation representative Beth Jones said careers guidance could not address every barrier young people faced, but was important in helping them navigate their futures.

The issue is also expected to feature in an independent review led by former health secretary Alan Milburn. The review is due to make recommendations on tackling the number of young people who are NEET; schools are expected to be asked to do more to prepare pupils for work.

The BBC report also notes that young people’s circumstances vary: pupils with special educational needs, from poorer backgrounds or with mental health issues are more likely to become NEET. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that a one-size-fits-all response is unlikely to work, leaving the scale and targeting of support among the questions for policymakers.