Could social networking online help NEET young people gain

employment?

By John Mowbray

Co authors: Professor Hazel HallProfessor Robert Raeside

Dr Peter Robertson

Twitter: @jmowb_napier

Structure of paper

• What does NEET mean?

• Social networking online: key themes– Social networks and information diffusion– Networking as information seeking behaviour– Social media tools and networking

• Research questions• Methodological approach• Any questions?

What does NEET mean?

• Not in Education, Employment or

Training

• Refers to 16-19 year olds in Scotland

• Left school without a ‘positive’

destination

• Associated with– Social deprivation– Low educational attainment– Weak family/support networks

Help wanted sign © Photo by: Johannsen, A.J. (2011) Web: https://goo.gl/Pb4I7M License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

Proportion of NEETs

Low (Eilean Siar) Average (Mean) High (Clackmannanshire)0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

3.5

7.3

11.8

% of 16-19 year olds not going into education, employment or train-ing in 2013

Scottish constituency

% o

f sc

hool l

eave

rs

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2014)

Key themes from the literature

Social networks and information

• Network structure and information diffusion– Weak ties– Strong ties

• Social capital is embedded within networks

• Social capital resources include – Informational support– Emotional support– Economic support

Social networks and information (2)

Weak tie(bridge)

Strong ties

Networking as information seeking

Networking is a form of goal-directed behaviour, (…) focused on creating, cultivating, and utilising interpersonal

relationships.

Gibson, Hardy III, & Buckley (2014)

Networking as information seeking (2)

Personality,Self-efficacySelf esteem,

Attitudes,Education,

Gender.

Networking

Antecedents

Social capital

resources

Increased employabilit

y

Behaviour MechanismOutcomes

Social media adoption• 83% of 16-24 year olds visit social networking sites daily

• Increasingly used by businesses for recruitment

• Can facilitate bonding and bridging social capital

• There are a diverse range of social media tools such as:– Networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn etc.)– Micro-blogs (Twitter)– Discussion forums

Social media adoption (2):Honeycomb framework

Presence

The extent to which users

know if others are available

Conversations

The extent to which users

communicate with each

other

Identity

The extent to which users

reveal themselves

Sharing

The extent to which users exchange,

distribute and receive content

Relationships

The extent to which users

relate to each other

Reputation

The extent to which users

know the social standing of others and

content

Groups

The extent to which users

are ordered or form

communitiesKietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy & Silvestre (2011)

Research questions

What are the key off-line networking behaviours employed by the Scottish labour force during job search?

Research questions

How do social media tools support the networking behaviours of the Scottish labour force during job search?

Research questions

How can networking supported by social media help to improve individual employability levels of the Scottish Labour force?

Methodology• A survey questionnaire to investigate the extent and nature

of social networking, as supported by social media tools, during job search

• A series of qualitative case studies aimed at providing a deeper insight into the process by which job seekers source information via their interpersonal contacts, and the role of social media tools in this process

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Any Questions?

Blog site:www.johnmowbray.org