The current labour market is increasingly complex and competitive which is making it challenging for young people to be confident in making the best decisions about their future careers. This research has gained an in-depth understanding of how young people Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) come to make decisions about their careers and next stage plans. The participants in this research live in the Thames Valley region in England. The research makes a contribution to our understanding of the career decision making processes of young people who are NEET through their voices.
My research is motivated by a desire to understand and explain the actions of NEETs and how they come to make decisions about their futures. It is underpinned by an interpretive theoretical framework which has allowed for the development of the voice of the participants, as well as reaching a level of understanding about their lives. Looking through this interpretive lens has allowed me to come to understand the lives of the participants, rather than simply explain.
I have chosen participant observation and informal semi-structured interviews, supported by an interview guide, as my methods. These were selected to allow for a relationship of trust to develop between myself and my participants and to ensure that interactions with them were as natural as possible.
The discussion in this paper is based on my preliminary data collected during my PhD. It discusses themes that have emerged from the data that are having an impact on the ability of my participants to make sound and informed choices about their future. Large barriers such as low academic attainment, fragile personal well-being and a lack of structure in the lives of the young people are identified. It is observed that these are having a detrimental impact on their ability to proactively make plans and decisions about their futures.
