Effective interventions for NEETs: a systematic review

Youth unemployment is associated with far-reaching economic and societal costs. To lower youth unemployment rates, the European Union (EU) has developed the Youth Guarantee. The Youth Guarantee stimulates countries to implement policies that help young people find jobs, continue education, apprenticeships, or internships. This chapter offers a systematic literature review to list and compare interventions that aim to help youth find jobs. Thus, it assesses which programmes are effective in increasing the employability of NEETs and what the ‘active ingredients' of these interventions are. The systematic review is based on a multidisciplinary search of scientific databases and aims to establish the state of the research on programmes for youth that are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) from the year 2000 to 2019. Looking at all relevant studies on interventions, we conclude that no convincing evidence is identified for the effectiveness of a specific intervention for NEETs. However, effective ingredients of interventions include social support, providing structure, and autonomy. More research is needed to determine what types of interventions are effective and for whom. We also suggest specific reporting standards and address issues of high dropout and attrition.