ATL

ATL comment on the number of 16-18 year olds not in Education, Employment and Training in England

Commenting on the statistics out today on the number of 16-18s who were not in education, employment or training at the end of 2008, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said:

"We are concerned that the number of young people who are not in education, training or employment (NEETs) has increased, and that over one in ten do not see the relevance of education.

"Although we broadly support raising the age for staying in education or training to 18, this must not be used as a temporary solution to keep unemployment figures down. There will be little purpose keeping young people in school or college unless we have the flexibility to create a curriculum that provides the skills they need for work and their future lives so they want to stay in education.

"With the number of semi and unskilled jobs continuing to decline and unemployment rising, we risk having a lost generation of young people who will always be on the periphery of the economy."

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). The union is a member of the social partnership - working with the UK government, employers and other unions on education issues. ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.