UK’s youth disadvantaged by fewer training routes, poor comparative literacy and maths and echoes of the Recession
Of the 7 million young people (16-24) living in England currently, a significant 700,000 (1 in 10) 16-24-year olds in England, are not in education, employment or training (NEET), reports the L&WI in the first report of their Youth Commission team.
The Learning and Work Institute is an independent organisation working to support inclusion, lifelong learning and full employment.
Their report also revealed the following areas of concern for our educators:
- Our attainment compared to others internationally in education is only average – the UK ranks 3rd in the OECD for young people with degrees but in the bottom half for low and intermediate skills.
- England’s young people’s Literacy and Maths skills are poor compared to counterparts internationally and poor compared to older generations.
- Only one half of unemployed young people are receiving the help of an out-of-work benefit or support in finding work. Disabilities and health problems are also prolific in this unemployed demographic.
- 1 in 5 young people are in insecure work yet moving jobs to increase income has reduced. The Great Recession has negatively impacted their pay and progression chances.
- The L&WI poll revealed that young people are less pessimistic about the opportunities than the over-25s.
The Youth Commission identified 5 key challenges that need to be overcome if we, as a nation, are to impact attainment and narrow the inequalities. These are:
“1. Better supporting 700,000 young people not in education, employment or training
2. Increasing the number of people qualified to at least Level 3
3. Improving attainment in literacy and numeracy and other basic skills
4. Creating a diversity of higher level learning routes through life
5. Support job quality, career progression, and economic security”
The Youth Commission also identified that the UK has “fewer credible vocational and technical education pathways than in other countries; this makes initial choices more divisive than they should be”.
Read the full report here.
About the author
Katie Newell
Katie Newell BA(Hons) PGCE is an ex-primary school teacher, Head of Maths, Head of Year five and languages specialist. Katie qualified in Psychology at Liverpool then specialised in Primary Languages for her PGCE at Reading. Katie feels passionately that teachers are the unsung heroes of society; that opening minds to creative timetabling could revolutionise keeping women in teaching, and that a total change to pupil feedback is the key to solving the work life balance issue for the best job in the world.