Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce the number of 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education, employment or training.

The department monitors young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) data and liaises with local authorities regarding their duty to track and support young people who are, or are at risk of becoming, NEET.

The department is working with local authorities to support the use of data tools to identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty, disability, or poor school attendance so they can be given extra support.

Funding is provided for a range of support for young people to help minimise time spent NEET, such as the support provided by Youth Hubs.

The department also works with the youth sector to gain further insight into the issues and barriers faced by young people.

We have introduced a range of skills reforms, outlined in the Skills for Jobs White Paper in January 2021, which set out the department’s blueprint to reform post-16 education and training to support young people to get the skills they need to succeed throughout their lives, wherever they live in the country. The Paper is focused on giving people the skills they need now and in the future, in a way that suits them. This is why the department is investing £3.8 billion in further education and skills to ensure young people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses current and future skills gaps, boosts productivity, and supports levelling up.

This investment will support the department’s aim to ensure that every young person has an opportunity to gain high-quality, hands-on training to start and progress in work and get them on the ladder of opportunity. Providers can also make better decisions around what courses they offer and focus on delivering the skills needed for a thriving and productive economy and society, with a particular emphasis on levelling up.

The department has been undertaking a series of reviews at level 3, level 2 and below, of academic and technical qualifications. These reviews will ensure that every funded qualification has a clear purpose, is high-quality, and will lead to good outcomes for students.

The department is investing approximately £100 million in the 2022/23 financial year to help young people and adults to get high-quality careers provision. Through the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, we are strengthening the law so that all pupils have the opportunity for six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships, as they progress through school years 8 to 13.

The department has introduced T Levels, boosting access to high-quality technical education for thousands of 16 to 19-year-olds. Young people are now benefitting from these pioneering new qualifications, designed by employers to ensure students get the skills they need for great jobs. We have also introduced the T Level Transition Programme, for students who would benefit from additional study time and preparation before starting their T Level.

Apprenticeships provide an excellent career pathway for young people to gain the skills and experience they need to start climbing the career ladder. The department provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged between 16 and 18-years-old. To support young people in accessing apprenticeships, the department is promoting apprenticeships in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.

In January, the department launched the Get the Jump campaign to help young people aged 14-19 to understand their education and training choices, how they compare, and where these choices can lead. Details of the campaign are available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-your-education-and-training-choices.