More miss training after taking A-levels

THE NUMBER of A-level students who drop out of education without securing training or a job has increased by 40 per cent since the start of the recession, according to new research published today.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Aug 2010, 12:32 BST
Updated 18th Aug 2010, 12:32 BST

Just over nine per cent of young people with level three qualifications, which include A-levels, were classed as NEET – not in education, employment or training – in the second quarter of 2010, up from 6.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2008.

The analysis of the Labour Force Survey, conducted by the Ippr think-tank and the Private Equity Foundation, comes as both new NEET statistics and A-level results are set to be published this week.

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The findings also reveal an increasing number of graduates are failing to secure work or further training after leaving university. In the second quarter of this year 11.4 per cent of graduates were classed as NEET, up from 7.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2008.

The analysis reveals that young people who leave school with no qualifications are the most at risk of missing out on further education, training or securing a job.

More than a third of young people without qualifications – at 36 per cent – were considered NEET in the second quarter of this year. However that only represents a slight increase on the level at the beginning of the recession.

Lisa Harker, co-director of the Ippr, said: "While it is true that those with A-levels and degrees have seen their risk of becoming NEET increase the fastest, they remain much better protected than young people who have no qualifications, and they are likely to do better when the economy recovers. Challenges facing young people with no qualifications are not just the result of the recession."