Children and young people engage in further education, employment and training on leaving school - The Herefordshire Partnership

Children and young people engage in further education, employment and training on leaving school

16-18 years olds NOT engaged in education, employment or training

"Being out of education, employment or training (NEET) between the ages of 16 and 18 is an enormous waste of young people's potential and their contribution to society. What is more, being NEET is linked to a number of other poor outcomes, including low levels of attainment and teenage conception."

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Since 2003, the proportion of 16-18 year olds in Herefordshire that were not engaged with education, employment or training has decrease, from 7.4% to 5.4% in 2007.  This is better than the West Midlands region and England as whole, 7.1% and 9.4% respectively in 2007.

Chart 1. Percentage of 16-18 year olds who are not engaged in education, employment or training.

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Employment, education and training for care leavers

Research shows that young people who leave care experience high levels of unemployment and are at risk of homelessness and social exclusion.  This indicator shows the performance of local authorities in improving outcomes for young people leaving care, so they are enabled to achieve, to make a positive contribution and to be offered the opportunity to secure their future economic well-being.

This indicator is being monitored in two ways: 

• actual numbers of looked after young people who left care who are in education, employment or training
• ratio of the percentage of those who were looked after who were engaged in education, employment or training against the percentage of all young people in the population that were engaged in education, employment or training

In 2007-08, Herefordshire was doing very well with 16 young people (out of a total of 17) engaged in education, employment or training. 

Source: Children and Young People's Directorate, Herefordshire Council.

For the purpose of making comparisons with other areas a ratio is used.  This indicator was presented in this format for the first time in 2004-05, see chart 2.

Chart 2.  Ratio of the percentage of those YP who were looked after on 1st April in their 17th year, who were engaged in EET at the age of 19, to the percentage of YP in the population who were engaged in EET at age 19

Herefordshire compares favourably to England generally and its statistical neighbours¹.

In 2007-08, Herefordshire had a ratio of 1.06, meaning that the proportion of care leavers in education, employment or training was above that of the general population.  This was also the case for the previous 2 years.

Source: Children and Young People's Directorate, Herefordshire Council.

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¹ Statistical neighbours - The figures presented for 'statistical neighbours' are an average of other counties that are similar in terms of socio-demographic characteristics.  Ofsted decide the statistical neighbours that Herefordshire Council's Children and Young People's Directorate should use: Somerset, Norfolk, Wiltshire, Suffolk, Dorset, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, East Sussex and Devon.