ATL

ATL believes one and a quarter million young people are not in education, employment or training

24 May 2012

Martin Freedman, head of pay, pensions and conditions at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

"Today's official figures, for the number of young people not in education, employment or training, is almost certainly an underestimate - we think the real figure is closer to one and a quarter million.

"The government has contributed to young people's misery by stopping the education maintenance allowance and Future Jobs Fund and thus cutting the lifeline to those who might have been in education or training.

"It is all very well and good for the government to be encouraging companies to set up apprenticeship schemes right, left and centre, but if there aren't any jobs for young people to go into afterwards they will be deeply frustrated and risk falling into a vicious cycle of unemployment."

Notes to editors

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.

2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first rate research, advice, information and legal advice.

3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.