Number of young people not in education or work rises

The statistics also reveal that there was a slight fall in the proportion of 16-18-year-olds in full-time education, which fell for the first time since 2001, to 70.5%.
 
UCU said government policies such as axing the education maintenance allowance (EMA) and raising the price of a university degree, at a time of huge youth unemployment, would make things even harder for young people.
 
Responding to today's figures, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'At a time when youth unemployment is at record levels, the government's decision to scrap initiatives such as the EMA look more ill-advised by the day.
 
'Education is a key social and economic driver and can help young people develop the necessary skills to find jobs and realise their potential. Instead of erecting barriers to study, such as hiking up university fees, the government should follow the example of other countries and invest in education, not cut the very services young people need.'
 
Download the full statistics (.pdf).