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Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 854: 4th July 2026. Why Phantom NEETs, Local Data and RONIs Are Crucial for a Burnham Skills Future
This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here's a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles from sector influencers and thought leaders across FE and Skills this week on FE News.
Upcoming national day to celebrate vocational learning
Save the date for Vocational Celebration Day on 6 August 2026, led by Enginuity and EAL — a national campaign celebrating the value and impact of vocational and technical learning. Organisations, educators and individuals can now get involved and show their support by downloading the FREE campaign pack and joining the celebration.
Gavin’s Reflective Perspective
Another big week. Andy Burnham could be the new PM in nearly 3 weeks, so his speech earlier this week is kind of important for the potential 'direction of travel' that could be coming for the country... I am particularly interested in what a new Burnham leadership could mean for skills and employability.
Number 10 North
So we will have a Number 10 North (in Manchester) coming, more devolution, Milburn got a mention and a few times now, when talking about the Welfare bill he has mentioned rethinking education and more opportunities for young people. So NEETs are going to be massively important... local skills and power to the devolved regions will be key!
Local Skills Dashboards and Missing NEETs
I think the Local Skills Dashboard trial that Skills England has been experimenting with will become increasingly important. I chatted with the Chair of Skills England (Phil Smith) about this recently, before Starmer stood down as PM, and we discussed the Skills Compass, local skills and a standard skills classification (which is like a common language of skills)... so this, I think will be massively important, already being trialled and could click into place properly for the new PM very quickly.
Could NEETs be Centre Stage for Burnham and saving the Welfare Bill?
Now Milburn and Burnham have worked together before... and for the future PM to mention youth employment and Milburn, it is interesting. In another interview, I picked up when being asked about finding money for things like Defence (the Defence budget seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Starmer).... Burnham has said he won't cut welfare harshly, but is looking at youth employment.
Now... NEETs cost £125 Billion per year, if all 1 Million NEETs were working, it would be plus £38 Billion, so you can understand why this is a win, win. Work Experience is also highlighted by Burnham... as he delivered this in Manchester as Mayor... so the timing for last week's Education and Employers report on the importance of work experience to reduce the number of NEETs couldn't have been better!
Phantom NEETs and RONI
20 mins before the first England knock out game of the World Cup started a release from DfE came out... this was either super time pertinent, or someone didn't want this to be found very easily! It was about 'Phantom NEETs'... missing NEETs and how councils are going to receive support to find and support future young people. The data shows that 32,100 “Phantom NEETS” are being left to drift without help, with up to half of 16 and 17-year-olds unaccounted for in one area (North Lincolnshire Council reporting that it is missing information for nearly half of its 16- and 17-year-olds). In comparison, four councils report knowing the whereabouts of all of them.
This is where RONI's come in... Risk Of NEET Indicators... for councils, but also for schools and colleges. I think again.. this is already announced (we had Jacqui Smith go into a bit more depth on the opener of our Breaking Barriers Collective event), but again, I think RONI's... Local Data... Local Labour Market, power to the devolved local needs... is going to be incredibly important future development for skills, for employability.
So looking at ways to plug those data gaps was obviously so important, it had to be sent out just before a knockout game for England! ... but it really highlights just how important data, local labour market insights are going to be for skills matching, portability of skills, catching 'Phantom' NEETs... 'Phantom' economic inactivity... making sure people are provided with the support they need.
International Lessons on NEETs
Talking of NEETs... we hear a lot about the Netherlands system (what I have called Bridges instead of Cliff Edges)... so many reports at the moment from the UK talk about cliff edges... so I am on a bit of a campaign / mission to build more bridges. So we have a cool article from Alexander Koppelle, working with at-risk young people (people flagged on a RONI) or NEETs in the Netherlands. Hopefully this helps you understand the Netherlands' system a bit more.
Talk about lessons from other nations... Yusuf Ibrahim wrote a very popular article this week, looking at NEETs from a Welsh perspective: A NEET Mess: What Wales Tells Us About Milburn and System Alignment
Thank you to Enginuity and EAL for sponsoring FE Soundbite this week. How are you celebrating Vocational Celebration Day on the 6th August?
Epic Exclusives Thought Leadership Articles
This week, we also had some other Epic Exclusives!
Firstly, Number 10 North: What Could Andy Burnham’s Vision and Manchesterism Actually Mean for Skills, Young People and the Welfare Trap? By Gavin O’Meara, CEO and Founder FE News and FE Careers
Secondly, A Tertiary System is Emerging, but Largely Despite the System, Not Because of it By Dr Vikki Smith, Chief Professionalism Officer, at the Education Training Foundation and Fiona Morey, Executive Principal, LSBU Colleges
Finally, Why the Netherlands Builds Bridges Instead of Cliffs for Young People at Risk of Becoming NEET By Alexander Koppelle, Founder & Director, mooi jong
Our Top 3 Thought Leadership Articles This Week
When Performance and Neurodivergence Collide: A Framework for FE Managers By Nathan Whitbread, The Neurodivergent Coach
Banning The Symptom: The Algorithm Built Not To Be Understood By Neil Wolstenholme, Kloodle Chairman
What Comes Next for Skills? Five Lessons from AELP National Conference 2026 By Matt Strong, Head of External Communications at AELP
Enactment Over Enrolment: Where Resit Policy Is Really Decided By Dr Michael Smith is a specialist in educational assessment, an academic researcher and co-founder of Markus
A NEET Mess: What Wales Tells Us About Milburn and System Alignment By Yusuf Ibrahim, Vice Principal Curriculum and Standards, CAVC
What’s New in the World of FE?
Announcements
6.5% pay rise for Teachers, plus £485m for FE Providers over next two years By the Department for Education (DfE)
Councils Backed To Identify and Support 32,100 “Phantom NEETS” By the Department for Education (DfE)
Reports
Boost Adult Education To Unlock Growth and Rebuild Communities, says AoC By the Association of Colleges (AoC)
White Working Class Young People Deserve Better: Landmark Inquiry Demands Overhaul of Apprenticeships, Careers Advice and Post-16 Pathways By Educational Outcomes
Awards
Blackburn College’s Early Years Department Named Centre Of The Year At The Aspiration Awards By NCFE
Redcar and Cleveland College Health and Social Care Lecturer Named Educator Of The Year at National Aspiration Awards By NCFE
Voices
Employer Engagement Must Become a Growth Function for Higher Education By Adam Herbert, CEO, Go Live Data
Why Global Recognition Is No Longer Optional By NOCN
In The Know
Sooo ... next week, we will be able to announce the launch date of the Breaking Barriers Collective report... and unpacking live stream... so watch this space!
By Danny O’Meara, Operations Manager, FE News and | 