Bridging the gap: new opportunities for 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training

The best defence against social exclusion is having a job, and the best way to get a job is to have a good education, with the right training and experience. But every year some 161,000 young people between 16 and 18 are not involved in any education, training or employment. For the majority these are wasted and frustrating years that lead, inexorably, to lower pay and worse job prospects in later life. The report sets out in detail both the scale and nature of the problem. It shows that while most young people enjoy a fairly smooth transition from school to work, often passing through A levels and university, a large minority lack support or guidance, and clear pathways to take them along the way to good jobs and career opportunities. It proposes establishing a much better support service, founded around personal advisers, to guide young people through their teenage years and help them get around the problems that might stop them from making the most of learning. It proposes a clear goal for young people to aim for with a new approach to graduation that would set a demanding, but achievable, standard encompassing not only formal qualifications but also other achievements in key skills and the community.

Excerpts from publication. Show less