NEET youth and young adults in Israel, Paula Kahan
1. NEET Youth and Young Adults in Israel:
Characteristics, Needs and Policies
Paula Kahan-Strawczynski
Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem
International Seminar on NEET Youth 2017, Seoul
2. Outline
2
The Israeli context for understanding
NEET young people
Rates of NEETs in Israel, characteristics
and needs
Existing aid policies, services and
further programmatic directions
1
2
3
4. Israeli Social Context
• 8.5 million people; 1,867,040 citizens aged 15-29 - 22% of the total population
• Cultural, social and economic diversity
• Among 15-29 : 74% Jewish, 26% Arab; 11% Immigrants; 10% ultra-Orthodox Jews
• Mandatory military service at age 18 - men 3 years, women 2 years:
73% of men and 58% of women ages 20-24 served in 2014
• Voluntary civilian national service - 11% of Jewish young adults
• Extended trip after completing military or national service
Education
• School attendance is mandatory and free from age 3 to 18
• Two systems of schools: Arabic-speaking system & the Hebrew-speaking system
4
5. The Education context:
Rate of 17-Year-Olds Not Registered in any
Educational Framework, by Sector, 2002-2015
10.4
9
10.7
8.5
7.3 7.1
8.8
7.4
24.4
16.5 16.5
11.9
2002 2006 2011 2015
5
All Jews Arab
6. 6
The Education Context – cont.
Attention is paid to "hidden dropouts"
Weak system of VET
• Organizational fragmentation
• Few settings incorporate work experience
• Negative image among parents
7. • Received full matriculation certificate:
58.8% ; Jews:62.4% , Arabs: 48.4%
• Received matriculation certificate that meets university admission
criteria: 48.8%; 52.5% of the Jews and 37.5% of the Arabs
7
The Education Context – cont.
17-year-olds:
64% of all vocational school graduates are entitled to a
vocational certificate
High upper-secondary graduation rate (including general
and vocational programs): 90%
8. Participation of Young Adults in the Labor
Market (%, 2016)
Ages 15-64 25-29
Unemployment rate 4.4 6.7
Labor force part. rate 72.2 80.8
8
Very low rate of participation in the Labor Force (ages 25-29):
• Arab women - 45%
• Ultra-orthodox men - 49%
10. Rates of NEETs in Israel and the OECD
average, by age, 2015
14.1
8.8
18.6
15.114.6
6.5
17
19.5
0
5
10
15
20
25
15-29 15-19 20-24 25-29
10
Israel OECD
11. Selected Characteristics of NEET Young Adults
(18-24) Compared with No NEETs in Israel (%,
Labor Force Survey, 2015)
44
67
33
27
23
39
23
40
60
12
7
27
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Arab** Arab Women** Arab men** Married
women**
Mothers** Low level of
Educ.
NEET young adults No NEETs ** p<0.01 11
13. About the survey
Survey population: young adults aged 23-26 who neither worked
nor studied in a post-secondary framework and did not intend to
start such studies in the coming year.
Two phases: A screening telephone interview with a national sample
of the population aged 23-26 (some 5,450 respondents)
13
The goals: to increase awareness of the needs of NEET young adults in
Israel, to identify vulnerable subgroups, and to serve as the basis for
planning responses to support them.
Based on the screening, a sample of young adults (some 1,200
respondents) were interviewed. 400 were NEET: 11% of the age group
14. Resources and Barriers to Employment or
Education
• Post-secondary certificate or
college degree - 15%
• Matriculation certificate - 29%
• Vocational certificate - 23%
• Having a profession, with or
without a vocational certificate -
48%
• Low levels of education - 56%: 23% did not
complete high school; 33% had completed
high school but without matriculation
• Having the poorest human capital: Without
a matriculation or vocational certificate and
with no profession - 45%
• Not having sufficient command of
Hebrew - 22%
• Not having adequate computer skills - 27%
• Previous adjustment difficulties: in school -
32%; in military/national service - 18%
14
Resources Barriers
15. Barriers in the Employment Arena
• 26% had never worked
• 13% had worked, but not for at least two years before the survey
• 12% had worked for a short time during the two years prior to the survey
15
Difficulty with 3+ of 13 employability items - 21%
Low rate of participation in work-readiness programs - 6%
Poor or no work experience - 51%:
16. Interest in Working or Studying
16
41% - interested in post-
secondary studies or
vocational training during
the coming year
All NEET young adults (23-26) 100%
Not looking for work 43% Looking for work 57%
Would be interested in
working if offered a
suitable job – 23%
Interested in working –
80%
85% - interested in
working and/or studying
17. Extent of Interest and Needs to Support
Integration into Studies or Work
17
Interested in working
80%
Need support
42%
Need support
56%
Interested in studying
41%
Guidance and
counseling
64%
Enhancing
human capital
33%
Guidance and
counseling
45%
Financial
assistance
41%
18. Aid Policies and Services
for NEET Youth and Young
Adults in Israel
19. Aid Policies and Services
• Programs for High School Students
• Aid Strategies during and after Military Service
• Efforts to strengthen the education systems in the Arab
and ultra-Orthodox sectors
• National initiative to enhance the successful integration
of Arab citizens into higher education
• A similar initiative for ultra-Orthodox Jews
19
Interventions to Prevent
Young People from
Becoming NEET
Strategies for Helping
Minority Groups Improve
their Educational
Achievements
20. 20
• One-Stop Employment Centers for the Arab and ultra-
Orthodox populations
• Apprenticeship program for young adults aged 18+ –
Starter
• A program for young adults with disabilities – Rampa
• A network of Young Adult Centers
• The National Program for Young Adults at Risk – Yated
("Stake")
Strategies for Helping
Young Adults Advance
towards Employment
Comprehensive
Programs and Initiatives
for Supporting
Vulnerable Young Adults
Aid Policies and Services – cont.
21. Preventive Strategies
At Risk of Becoming NEET
Personal Characteristics
Further directions must take into account:
Elective
Non
Elective
Promoting Strategies
Already NEET
Short-Term
Long-Term
Transitional
Chronic
21
22. Further Programmatic Directions
22
Broader opportunities to complete
matriculation or vocational
certification and a post-secondary
degree
Provide information, counseling
about work and studies
Strengthen coordination among
key players in developing training
courses
Expand opportunities to gain
work experience
Expand work-readiness
programs
Special attention to the more
disadvantaged and vulnerable
NEETs who are at risk of long-
term disengagement
