As 2025 comes to a close, global NEET (not in education, employment, or training) rates continue to be a pressing issue. According to ILO estimates, this constitutes 25% of the world’s population in the 15-24 age group. Young women are especially impacted, with rates twice those of young men, and while this is a global issue, the figures for low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs) are more than double their high-income counterparts.
The NEET issue is multifaceted, exacerbated by a lack of employment opportunities and by difficulties accessing education. While no single set of programs can address all issues contributing to the high NEET rates, a promising approach is technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills programs, which help young people gain the skills needed to enter employment.
Improving evidence on TVET and skills programs
TVET and skills programs hold promise, but the evidence on their effectiveness is scattered and unclear. To address this, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has partnered with 3ie to identify, map and synthesize evidence on this topic.
In the second phase of our project, we will search for, map, and categorize the evidence base of impact evaluations, systematic reviews and cost-evidence. This phase builds on our earlier work, published this year, in which we developed a framework for TVET and skills interventions, as well as their related labour market outcomes. We will now utilize this framework to create an evidence gap map (EGM) by March 2026, providing the sector with access to the most up-to-date evidence exploring what works.
While we are still working on fundraising, our ambition and vision is that the second phase of work will pave the way to further explore what works and at what cost. Ultimately, we aim to produce best buys and evidence-informed guidelines for the sector.
What we’re focusing on
Our project looks at interventions that support the transition from learning to earning. We focus not only on delivering vocational training and education, but also on the broader system. We’re interested in interventions that increase access to training services, whether that involves financial support or breaking down societal barriers, as well as interventions that improve service quality by aligning them with labour market needs.
This project focuses specifically on supply-side interventions, those that provide individuals with the skills needed to enter the labour market. While demand-side interventions aimed at creating jobs are also crucial for addressing the NEET crisis, they are outside the scope of this project. A similar project could be implemented in the future to explore demand-side programming, providing a fuller picture of the evidence base.
The figure below provides a high-level overview of the interventions and outcomes of interest.
How you can help
To populate our EGM, we will run a systematic search across multiple databases and grey literature sites. Yet, many relevant studies could be hidden in the most obscure of places. We invite the TVET community to support our venture by sharing any relevant research using the form below.
If you are aware of a study on any program or policy related to TVET and skills in an L&MIC, please let us know. If you would like to stay updated on the progress of our work, please use the form below to sign up for our newsletter.
Paper submission form | Newsletter sign-up form
About the partnership
This collaboration is led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie). The partnership aims to strengthen the evidence base around technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills programs, with a focus on improving youth transitions from learning to earning. This work is part of FCDO and 3ie’s broader commitment to evidence-informed development and education policy. For more information, please get in touch with Cem Yavuz at cyavuz@3ieimpact.org
Webinar recording of the launch event for phase one
