NEET-staatuses noored teenuste ja programmide võrgusilmas: kuidas paremini toetada mitteõppivaid ja -töötavaid noori? [NEET-youth in a mesh of network of services and programs: how to ensure better support to young people who are not in education or employment?]

At the end of 2020, there were 24,300 15–29-year-old young people in Estonia who were not in education, employment, or training. Of these, 6,900 lived in Tallinn. Though the need to provide support and services for NEET-youth is increasingly recognised in Estonia, it is difficult to reach the most vulnerable subgroups of the target group.  

Based on expert interviews, this article provides insights into how professionals working with young people perceive the most vulnerable NEET-youth in Tallinn, the root causes of their problems and the cooperation between institutions and professionals working with NEET-youth. The article concludes with the recommendations for organising services in a manner that would better facilitate reaching the young people in difficult life situations. 

Experts see local governments as key players in reaching young people identified as NEET and consider it important that local level networking in finding and supporting those young people is not limited by the guidelines of different fields. Receiving help must be made as easy as possible, avoiding situations where a young person has to navigate between different authorities and specialists.