NEET kid.......

Raksha

My 16 year old had disappointing exam results last year. We managed to get him into a BTEC level 2 IT course at college, but now he's dropped out due to getting too far behind to catch up (this was due to a period of depression which he's suffered with most of his teens - he was bullied most of his school life).
He wants to work, and would like an apprenticeship, but most seem to want 3 C grade or above, which he hasn't got (despite getting a merit in IT)
I don't know where to turn with regards to getting him a place doing something, I know until July he should be in 'employment, education or training' but how is that supposed to happen? (He's in the city centre at the moment, dressed smartly, with clean shoes, shirt and tie, handing out CVs..)
I try and make sure he does at least one thing every day to improve his chances of finding work, but am running out of ideas.

flutterbyuk25

He could attend a course like the Prince's Trust Team Programme.

It's a 12 week personal development programme aimed to upskill him, try new experiences, try a work placement, get qualifications etc. So at least he is keeping busy and doing stuff to go on his CV. He would get a training allowance (in Wales it's £30/wk but not sure whether it's different in England) and travel costs reimbursed.

The next one in MK seems to be 28th April so a little wait but get in touch with them sooner rather than later as they can fill up.

PM if you want any more info.

There are numerous other courses he could do with other organisations. It's just a matter of finding something he may enjoy, and gain experience from. You should really make an appointment with his careers adviser to find the most suitable option.

Buzzybee90

Raksha wrote: »

My 16 year old had disappointing exam results last year. We managed to get him into a BTEC level 2 IT course at college, but now he's dropped out due to getting too far behind to catch up (this was due to a period of depression which he's suffered with most of his teens - he was bullied most of his school life).
He wants to work, and would like an apprenticeship, but most seem to want 3 C grade or above, which he hasn't got (despite getting a merit in IT)
I don't know where to turn with regards to getting him a place doing something, I know until July he should be in 'employment, education or training' but how is that supposed to happen? (He's in the city centre at the moment, dressed smartly, with clean shoes, shirt and tie, handing out CVs..)
I try and make sure he does at least one thing every day to improve his chances of finding work, but am running out of ideas.

The grade c in English and maths thing is going to come up again and again, could he possibly resit them? Giving him three if he did split lit/Lang.

Bublin1

I was also going to suggest The Princes Trust. Check out their website. They also have 'Ambassadors' - they have been on their programmes and are available to mentor and just about their experience.

eskimo26

I would stick to vocational courses, when he turns 19 he'll be stuck like me paying out his own pocket, so best to get these qualifications while they're free.

But what will hold his interest? What is he really passionate about? Because it obviously wasn't .I.T. unless he did his best but couldn't keep up with the work load?

Maybe going into psychology will help him understand his issues and help other people too. I am going into occupational therapy, you can get a bursary for the degree and i'll need to do a 1year access to higher education diploma to get onto the degree because I only got AS levels due to sickness.

Treat his depression or it'll plague him for life. Get therapy before drugs depending on severity, CBT is also good but rare to be given access to it.

Good luck.

claire16c

Can you find somewhere he can redo/sit his gcse maths & English? If he doesn't have Cs in those it's going to keep preventing him from stuff over the years. He could do it maybe part time at a college or something so would fit in if he does find a job.

Lieja

Look around for Traineeships in your area - they're vocational, include English and maths and are a stepping stone into apprenticeships for young people in exactly your son's situation. They're relatively new too, so a lot of places are guaranteeing a move into an apprenticeship for those that complete the traineeship.

[Deleted User]

eskimo26 wrote: »

But what will hold his interest? What is he really passionate about? Because it obviously wasn't .I.T. unless he did his best but couldn't keep up with the work load?

I was much like the OP's son, didn't do much in school (came away with a few GCSEs) but every waking hour at home was spent on my computer learning things. After leaving school I floundered around and my parents tried all manner of things to get me to do something structured, including routine visits to connexions who said that the only way for me to achieve anything in life was to go back into education.

Eventually I ended up in the local college on a BTEC I.T course. The course was complete and utter trash, in fact there's a popular phrase that fits the situation perfectly: "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.". The curriculum was stuck in the 90s, the teachers were stuck in the 80s and the only value I got from the course was the affirmation that low level I.T education is garbage for anyone with a passion for the subject.

If someone is passionate about working with computers and has a solid understanding (the sort understanding someone who spends 8 hours a day on their computer after school might have) they will find any entry level I.T course so mind numbing and so lacking in any sort of stimulation that they would rather sleep through the lessons -- and probably will. I was kicked out of that course after a few months, yet in my free time I was creating websites that have been used by millions of people.

If the OP's son is genuinely passionate about working with computers (software, hardware) then they would be much better off doing self directed learning through some of the many free (or reasonably priced) online courses and then looking for local companies that would be willing to hire him as a junior in his preferred field.

Further education can be very very valuable to a lot of people and there is most definitely a lot of value in university level computer science education, but low level BTEC I.T courses are (unless something has changed since 2009) worthless if someone already has a rudimentary knowledge of computers and using his performance on that course as a measure of anything is a mistake.

Whether or not the OP's son is passionate and talented I don't know, and it's easy to mistake a teenager spending all their time playing video games for a passion for computers, but if he is passionate about creating/working with computers (and not just consuming) then his performance on that I.T course is irrelevant and should be discounted.

RedBern

If he can't get into paid work why not try some volunteering whilst waiting for a place on Princes Trust?

My youngest was NEET for a time, and I appreciate how difficult it is, he also dropped out of a college course because he was bored, and suffered with depression.

He did some volunteer work and got a job as a carer, not personal care but befriending. I'd see him walking around town with guys in their 60s who had early symptoms of dementia, going shopping and into coffee shops with them, and he loved it. He's now a carer in a home and is hoping to do nurse training. He saved up and did some travelling around Europe in the summer, working in a hostel in Sarajevo for a month and proudly announced he'd read a book about the Bosnian war whilst there, the first book he'd ever read that wasn't a school book!!

If your son can find volunteering opportunities locally it might help and it will certainly improve his CV.

Encourage him to read, that will help with his English GCSE, and I'd also get him to resit it ASAP, firstly whilst its free and secondly before he forgets everything!

Raksha

Citricsquid I think you've hit the nail on the head. The BTEC course was so wide, including databases and webpage design, which he has no interest in. The rest of it wasn't stimulating enough for him as he's above that level...
He's agreed to apply for the Princes Trust Scheme as a start, but his biggest motivator is money, although he won't do anything just for money

paulineb_2

The Princes Trust offers qualifications as well, I did my assistant team leader training a few years ago, worked with a few teams and there were communications qualifications that the young people got put through.

I do think you need to get the depression looked at as someone else has said if you havent already.

The thing is, young people can and do drop out of courses, I did it myself at 18, but if he doesnt have basic qualifications its going to hold up his chances of getting into further training and employment, he'll be competing with people better qualified than he is.

What does he want to do, even as a stop gap to get some money in? I also think voluntary work is a great idea, again I volunteered for a charity and they put young people through NVQ qualifications.