Nearly a million young are 'Neet'
The number of young people not in school, work or training has edged closer to a million, official figures have revealed.More than 950,000 people aged between 16 to 24 in England are now considered "Neet" (not in education, employment or training), according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE).
The statistics showed that 954,000 young people were classed as Neet in the first three months of the year, compared to 925,000 in the same quarter a year ago.
The figure was a record high for the first quarter of a year. The new figure of 954,000 is 143,000 higher than in the first three months of 2008.
A Government spokesman said: "The number of young people not in education, employment or training has been too high for too long. We are driving up standards right across the schools system to bring the numbers down.
"We are investing almost £1 billion in the Youth Contract to support 16-24-year-olds into education, training and work. We are creating the biggest apprenticeships programme our country has ever seen and have launched the National Careers Service to provide expert advice.
"We are also overhauling vocational education, so all employers can be confident about the skills of our young people and the rigour of our qualifications."
"We are investing almost £1 billion in the Youth Contract to support 16-24-year-olds into education, training and work. We are creating the biggest apprenticeships programme our country has ever seen and have launched the National Careers Service to provide expert advice.
"We are also overhauling vocational education, so all employers can be confident about the skills of our young people and the rigour of our qualifications."
© 2013 Press Association