‘Next Steps for NEET’s’ Conference 2025

Following the publication of a report I commissioned at the beginning of my term as High Sheriff in March – ‘Unseen Surrey – An Exploratory Overview of the NEET Crisis’; a conference to discuss it’s findings and next steps took place yesterday at The University of Surrey.

‘Next Steps for NEET’s’ – focussed on bringing together the various groups working to reduce the number of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs), including representatives from local government, politicians, education and healthcare providers, police, charity and voluntary organisations and some past High Sheriffs, with a view to encouraging collaboration and the sharing of knowledge, data, experiences and ideas to hopefully provide a joined-up strategy to tackle the NEET issue going forward.

Keynote speeches were delivered by myself as High Sheriff, and Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, and the conference was expertly curated by the team at CBE Research (The Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey) who produced the report, led by Professor Amelia Hadfield. 

After an initial review of the findings, the conference split into three breakout groups, guided by presenters, facilitators and rapporteurs to have a collective deep dive into specific topics, sharing current practices and frustrations and developing ideas for pilot studies and co-ordinated action going forward. I was greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and engagement in the rooms, and the desire to create a community of practice going forward to build on these discussions and encourage further collaboration. 

A huge thank you to The University of Surrey for hosting the event and to everyone involved for their contributions.