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Indicators of Sustainable Development for Scotland

Indicator 19. Preparing for Life

Percentage of 16-19 year olds who are not in education, training or employment (Social Justice Milestone 7)

Percentage of 16-19 year olds who are not in education, training or employment

Source: Labour Force Survey: Office for National Statistics

The relevance of the indicator

Education and training are central to enabling every child to reach their full potential. We want to see a Scotland in which every young person has the opportunities, skills and support to make a successful transition to working life and active citizenship.

Detailed definition and source details

The indicator is defined as the proportion of 16-19 year olds who are not classed as a student, or in employment (including government training). The information is taken for each year from the spring quarter of the Labour Force Survey which is run by the Office for National Statistics ⁴².

Trends

Data for 2002 estimates that 14% of 16 - 19 year olds are not in education, training or employment. This is the same level that was estimated for the year 2001. Since 1992, the figure has remained relatively stable between 13% and 16%.

Further disaggregation

In recent years a higher percentage of males aged 16-19 years were not in education, training or employment compared to females of the same age group. The gap between genders has recorded a small decrease in 2002 compared with 2001.

Target

The target is to reduce the proportion of 16-19 year olds who are not in education, training or employment by 2006 ⁴³. In 1999 just over 33,000 people in Scotland aged 16-19 were not in work, education or training.

Action

We are taking action on a number of fronts to influence the indicator:

• Enrolments in further education colleges in 2000-01 increased by 12% over the previous year. A total of over 65,000 new further education places have been created since 1998-99. 24% of students enrolled in colleges in 2000-01 are from areas defined as high deprivation. The target for 2002-03 is to increase students from disadvantaged groups by 3%;

• Youth unemployment has fallen by three quarters since 1997. 47,000 young people have got jobs through New Deal for young people (18-24 years) since the scheme began - 76% of which were sustained;

• 4 strategic targets have been agreed for Careers Scotland ⁴⁴, within the context of Smart, Successful Scotland and the National Priorities for Education. Of particular significance is the target to reduce by 6,000 (by the end of academic year 2004/5) the number of young people (16-19 years) for whom being NEET (not in education, employment or training) is a negative experience;

• The multi-agency Beattie Inclusiveness Projects, now managed by Careers Scotland, have a major role here. Through a new network of key workers, they have already given individual support to over 8,000 vulnerable young people.

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