Sean’s Story

Abstract

A frequent criticism of research into youth transitions is that it has tended to concentrate on the more extreme and sensational at the expense of the mundane and the average (Roberts 2011; 2012). To some extent this is understandable, and for academics and policymakers concerned with those most at risk, it is natural to concentrate on young people in very deprived areas or facing complex and multiple difficulties. Furthermore, as we found very early in our research, there is a paradox of access when attempting to investigate the lives of NEET young people. Those in very challenging circumstances are likely to be known to social services and are often subject to attendance requirements as a condition of receiving benefits. When access is negotiated through practitioners, these young people may therefore be easier to reach than those with less obvious needs. Because of this, we were able to include in our study young people from many of the various NEET subgroups described in earlier chapters, including young parents, care leavers and those with a history of youth offending. However, there are different degrees and forms of marginalization, and if young people outside these groups remained less visible to us, the scope and usefulness of our research would be diminished. Consequently we once again approached the local Connexions service and towards the end of 2011, it was suggested that Sean, a personable young man with relatively good GCSEs who had become NEET after leaving an apprenticeship programme, might be included in our study.