Image: Per-Olof Sedin, Örnsköldsviks kommun
Image: Per-Olof Sedin, Örnsköldsviks kommun
PhD project within the Industrial Doctoral School at Umeå University
The overall aim of this doctoral project in collaboration with Örnsköldsvik municipality is to establish a knowledge base for the development of a locally integrated and purposeful support system for NEETs.
Industrial Doctoral School, 50 percent
Örnsköldsvik municipality, 50 percent
Agnes Bäcklund, development strategist, Örnsköldsvik municipality
The situation for young people aged 16-29 who are not in employment, education, or training has received significant attention in Sweden and internationally over the past decade. We have an extensive understanding of the causes and consequences of the disengagement experienced by these young individuals.
However, knowledge of how to design support systems that effectively meet the complex needs of this heterogeneous group and promote their (re)engagement in education or employment is lacking. More specifically, there is a dearth of tangible, practical examples demonstrating how municipalities should work in an integrated and purposeful manner to support young individuals who have fallen outside the labor market and education system.
The overall aim of this doctoral project is to establish a knowledge base for the development of a locally integrated and purposeful support system for young people aged 16-29 who are not in employment, education, or training (NEETs). Our focus lies on interventions coordinated by the municipality or in collaboration with other stakeholders that directly address the challenges faced by NEETs. The specific objectives of the project are to gain:
1. Gain a deeper understanding of the support needs of NEETs.
2. Increased knowledge of how to reach NEETs who have no contacts with authorities.
3. Increased knowledge of how stakeholders in the local context could collaborate to meet the support needs of NEETs.
4. Increased knowledge of how stakeholders in the local context could collaborate to promote (re)engagement of NEETs in education or employment.
By adopting a comprehensive approach that considers both the complex support needs of NEETs (objective 1) as well as the collaborative role of public stakeholders, along with other partners, in meeting these needs and promoting (re)engagement in education or employment (objectives 2-4), this project will contribute to the advancement of national and international research about young people who are on the margins of labor markets and education systems during prolonged parts of youth and young adulthood. The primary strength of the project lies in the integration of these two areas, the needs of, and access to, support for NEETs, which will contribute to establishing a knowledge base for the development of an integrated and purposeful support system in the municipality.
