Data collection practices on NEETs from Lithuania and Malta
The atWork4NEETs project has come to the end of its second semester and has some excting news to share: we have worked hard to internally evaluate and select 4 good practices on data collection and analysis on NEETs.
Our common aim was to find and share the best solutions to identify and track young people who are not in not in education, employment or training.
In order to find the 4 best practices you are about to read, the atWork4NEETs partners engaged their stakeholders in a consultation though surveys, meetings, interviews and workshops.
You can find out more about the first 2 selected practices through an interview with the project experts here below.
Malta: Census on Youths not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) for the Youth Guarantee
Amber Darmanin from JOBSPLUS Malta
Could you kindly describe your practice?
The census carried out to analyse the NEET population aims to understand in detail several important characteristics about this particular group with a very low margin of error. It includes several questions about their employment expectations, educational background, economic status, and their knowledge of green jobs and IT skills.
Which are the elements that make your practice a good one?
It is our persistence in gathering information through various online, email and traditional postal campaigns. The accuracy and credibility of quantitative research strongly depended on the sample design. Every effort was made to ensure the questionnaire was distributed across the entire target population, resulting in a final sample that was highly representative.
What makes it easily replicable in different contexts?
Primary data collection directly from the source offers vital first-hand information, which is inherently more accurate than secondary data. This directly collected data is considered more reliable, authentic and objective, as it is tailored specifically to address the needs of NEETs. Moreover, it can be easily scaled to a larger population if the NEET population within the region is identified and sufficient funds and human resources are available.The methodology provided in the statistical report includes all the details to make this research replicable.
“Dos and dont’s” for anyone across Europe willing to adopt your good practice: fire away!
It is crucial to be agile between compiling the sampling frame and conducting data collection to avoid the need to exclude participants who are no longer NEETs, as well as the risk of not accounting for individuals who become NEETs after the sampling frame is compiled.
Also, it is strongly recommended to implement various campaigns to enhance response rates and the accuracy of results. Moreover a campaign targeting individuals directly is devised. A letter is prepared to be sent to individuals at their homes to encourage their involvement, highlighting the significance of this research.
> Find out more on this good practice
Lithuania: Track-IN. Public employment services tracking effectiveness in supporting rural NEETs
Aivaras Pranarauskas from Lithuanian PES
Could you kindly describe your practice?
The Track–in survey tool was created in collaboration with 10 universities to help measure the effectiveness of youth policies. There was a lack of studies on how Public Employment Services (PES) are tracking their impact on youths and how the Youth Guarantee service was delivered on the ground, including the quality of PES delivery and the real needs of NEETs in rural areas.
Which are the elements that make your practice a good one?
There are 2 surveys, one for the NEETs and one for the PES staff. As for the former, it takes time to complete, but it provides the most detailed profile of NEETs because it contains information that PES usually don't collect. With a comprehensive understanding, we can make very precise decisions. The latter aims to identify discrepancies between the initial plans of policymakers and the actual delivery of services.
What makes it easily replicable in different contexts?
The survey tool can be adopted by any other country and easily translated into any language. It's already available in Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Estonia, Germany, and Belgium. A survey tool for PES staff and NEETs is available via the https://www.qualtrics.com platform.
“Dos and dont’s” for anyone across Europe willing to adopt your good practice: fire away!
Don't do it if you can't influence policymakers to implement all the findings and insights that will be gathered.
Don't do it if you are not flexible in implementing Youth Guarantee programs.
Do it if you want to gather maximum information about NEETs in your country.
Do it if you are looking for new ideas in implementing the Youth Guarantee.
> Find out more about this good practice
If you’re eager to find out more about the good practices we just presented, please register to our webinar and join us on Feb.20th 2024.