Book review: education, work and social change by Robin Simmons, Ron Thompson and Lisa Russell

The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is rising to alarming levels across the globe and costing the economy billions. This book is based upon a longitudinal study of the lives of a set of young people in the north of England classified as NEET, or at risk of becoming NEET. Drawing on ethnographic data from over two years of fieldwork, it looks beyond dominant political and media discourses on NEET young people to provide a rich, detailed account of young people’s experiences on the margins of education and employment in post-industrial Britain. Claire Forbes reviews.