More youngsters are staying in education

Survey tracks 3,280 students

ONLY one per cent of school leavers in Oldham go directly into employment, latest figures from the support service Connexions show.

Record numbers are staying on for further education in colleges or schools — up by 2 per cent compared with 2008, to 85.4 per cent.

And despite the downturn in the economy, the overall Not in Education Training or Employment (NEET) rate for Year 11s remained exactly the same as last year at 4.7 per cent.

The figures come from the analysis of what happened to Year 11 school leavers for the Connexions Moving On 2009 report.

Only 1.4 per cent of leavers went into direct employment, but 7.5 per cent chose Learning and Skills Council-funded training as their path to a job.

And take-up of further education, training or jobs with recognised training reached an all-time high of 94 per cent.

Only 15 young people (0.5 per cent) entered employment with no training planned.

Connexions is the national young people’s information, advice and guidance service provided in Oldham by Positive Steps Oldham, whose chief executive, Tim Mitchell, said: “This summer we celebrated record numbers of Year 11s gaining GCSE qualifications and the figures in this report follow that trend.

“By 2013, the Government aims to see all 17-year-olds participating in learning, so with 94 per cent, Oldham is well on the way towards that target.

“Throughout the year personal advisers, based in all secondary schools in Oldham, have worked intensively with specific young people identified as needing extra help with their post-Year 11 options.

“We have worked with, and tracked the progress of, over 3,280 Year 11 pupils, which would have been impossible without the support and information provided by agencies that have worked with Connexions throughout the past 12 months.”