:Liverpool-based Careers Adviser Amnah shares her reflections on the discussion, and what factors she has seen make a real difference to young people she has worked with.
Amnah Vicars, Careers Adviser in our Liverpool Team, was on the panel at last week’s Career Development Institute Conference, for a discussion on the complex reasons why the number of young people not in education, training or employment (NEET) is rising – and how career development can help.
Amnah shares her reflections on the discussion, and what factors she has seen make a real difference to young people she has worked with.
Every young person who is NEET has their own journey
After 25 years as a Careers Adviser in South Liverpool, including being co-located in a number of multi-disciplinary teams (such as Liverpool Youth Service, Liverpool Youth Offending Team, and CLICS Leaving Care Team) and providing careers advice in schools, I’ve learned that every young person’s journey is shaped by a unique mix of:
- Place
- Opportunity
- Confidence
- Challenge
- And hope.
During the CDI Conference panel, I was reminded that no matter the national statistics or the policy landscape, real change happens closest to the ground, in the communities where young people live their daily lives.
The panel brought together research, data, and practice. Sitting alongside Barry Fletcher, CEO of Youth Futures Foundation, and Professor Ceri Brown from University of Bath, I felt proud to represent the on-the-ground voices of practitioners working alongside young people who are too often described only in terms of risk, deficit, or challenge.
Because behind every category of ‘NEET’ is a young person who wants to be seen, heard, and understood. Something our CEO Sheila Clark highlighted nationally in her response to the newly announced government inquiry into rising numbers of young people not in employment, education or training.
Place and voice matter. They always have.
Working in South Liverpool, I’ve spent years supporting young people whose challenges can’t be captured in data alone.
Some can’t afford the bus fare to north Liverpool. Some don’t feel safe leaving their home. Some have caring responsibilities that limit their world to the space between their front door and the people who depend on them.
I hold a simple belief – and one which has proven itself to be true time and again: If you remove barriers and meet young people where they are, they will step forward.
When we design careers support around the realities of local communities, young people engage, trust, and begin to imagine futures that once didn’t feel available to them. Place-based practice isn’t just a buzzword for me; it’s been the backbone of my work.
One of the strongest themes from the panel was the importance of youth voice.
For years, I’ve seen how powerful it is when we shift from ‘doing to’ young people to working with them.
Gathering feedback from young people and giving them a say in the services that we deliver to them and allowing them to co-design programmes is vital.
Whether they’re disengaged, anxious, or unsure where to begin, most young people have a clear sense of what they need, and can often articulate it better than anyone around them:
- “I want to work, but I don’t know where to start.”
- “I’m scared I’ll fail again.”
- “I feel invisible.”
- “No one in my family has worked—why would I be any different?”
That’s why we need individual participants’ voices to be given the same importance as data sets or risk factors. Youth voice is not an add-on; it’s essential.
Our job as careers professionals is to listen. Really listen. Then respond and build the partnerships that bring real opportunities into our communities.
learn about our youth voice work here
Early intervention makes the difference
On the panel, I also shared examples of our prevention work, particularly a project supporting young people to gain Maths and English qualifications.
Too often, we meet young people only after they’ve disengaged.
But I’ve seen that small, early interventions, delivered thoughtfully, and locally, can prevent disconnection before it becomes a statistic. We must see prevention as just as important as the crisis response.
Consistency in careers support is vital
I also talked about Career Connect’s call to develop a NEET support framework, an extension of the Gatsby Standards which are used in schools.
Across the sector, we often see examples of brilliant practice, but not enough consistency. Young people shouldn’t have to depend on luck of geography, of which adviser they meet, or of which project is funded this year.
As a charity, and based on our research, we have been vocal that what we need is:
- A shared, evidence-based approach, which places young people’s voices at the centre
- Better recognition of the emotional and social barriers young people face
- Greater investment in community-based, adaptable support
- Training that values the career practitioner’s role as an impartial adviser who builds strong, person-centred relationships with young people
As practitioners we know what works; we just need the structures that allow us to deliver it consistently.
Why I do what I do
People sometimes ask me how I’ve stayed in the careers sector for so long. The reason is because every day, I meet young people who remind me why what we do matters:
- A young person who hasn’t left their house in months taking their first step outside
- A teenager who thought they’d “never get anywhere” receiving their first qualification
- A parent who tells me, “They’re smiling again.”
The CDI panel was a powerful reminder to me that the careers sector is full of people committed to improving outcomes for young people who deserve the same hope and opportunity as anyone else.
But to truly address NEET challenges, we must keep championing inclusive practice, amplifying our youth voices, and designing support that reflects the complexity, and potential, of the communities we serve.
South Liverpool has shaped me just as much as I’ve tried to support it.
And I’m as driven now as I was 25 years ago, to keep opening doors, raising confidence, and walking alongside young people as they build the futures they deserve.
