Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is he taking to help reduce the numbers of 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training.

The government has raised the participation age to make sure that all young people are supported to continue their education until at least age 18, and invested £7 billion during academic year 2017/18 so there is a place in education or training for every 16 to 19 year old.

Local authorities (LAs) have statutory duties to identify and track the participation of 16 and 17 year olds, supporting those not participating to do so and making sure that there is sufficient, suitable education and training provision to meet their needs. The September Guarantee places a further duty on LAs to ensure that all year 11 pupils (and year 12 pupils on one year courses) receive an offer of a place in education/training for the following September. It aims to ensure that all young people, regardless of what they achieved in school, understand that there are opportunities that will help them to progress, and to ensure that they get the advice and support they need to find a suitable place.

A range of provision is available for young people aged 16 to 24 to equip them with the skills and experience they need to progress. This includes Traineeships which provide unemployed young people with employability training, work experience and English and maths; and Supported Internships which offer tailored support for young people aged 16 to 25 who have special educational needs and disabilities. In addition, young people aged 19 to 23 are funded to gain a first full level 2 or 3 qualification; English and maths training is funded for young people who have not achieved a level 2 standard; and a range of employability training is available to support young people who are unemployed into work.