Not in education, employment or training (NEET)

16 to 17 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET)

Performance data is collected in respect of young people aged 16 to 17 years not in education, employment or training (NEET).  The most recent information that we have is for the county (Lancashire-12) as a whole and its 12 constituent districts for the period between December 2022 and February 2023.

Please note that Lancashire's counting methodology changed in September 2016. Before then, all 16-18 year olds were counted, however since September 2016, only 16-17 year olds have been counted.

Key points for the Lancashire-12 area, December 2022 to February 2023

• 2.6% of young people in Lancashire-12 were categorised as NEET in 2022/23. This was lower than the regional rate of 3.5%, the national rate of 2.8% and the respective neighbouring authority rates (3.5% in Blackburn with Darwen and 7.0% in Blackpool).
• Within Lancashire-12, the percentage of 16-17 year olds who are NEET varies between districts, from 1.3% in Ribble Valley to 3.5% in both Hyndburn and Lancaster.
• In 2022/23, the number and proportion of NEET in Lancashire-12 increased by 0.1 percentage point. NEET numbers decreased the sharpest in Preston (down 27 (-21.1%)). There was also a notable drop for South Ribble (down 5 (-6.9%)).
• The percentage and number of young people in education, employment or training (EET) increased in Lancashire-12 overall to 94.7%. The proportion of EET rose in half of the Lancashire-12 districts, with percentages ranging from 93.1% in Burnley to 97.3% in Ribble Valley.
• The percentage of instances where it was not known whether young people were involved in education, employment or training remained the same in Lancashire-12 in 2022/23 at 2.7%. Apart from four of Lancashire-12 districts showing increases, with the highest increase being Fylde seeing a 140% increase and Preston seeing a 23.8% increase, the rest of the Lancashire-12 saw decreases, with the highest decrease being Wyre, seeing a 27.3% drop.

The Department for Education website provides statistics on young persons aged 16- and 17-year-old who are NEET. Local data has been provided by the Child and Family Well-being Service (Young People's Service) for recent years. 

Children and young people dashboard 

The children and young people dashboard created as part of the Neighbourhood JSNA, now includes district and ward level data for KS2/ KS4/ Pupil Absence/ Exclusions/ NEET. This resource can be accessed here.

 Page updated 1 June 2023