More Choices More Chances
The strategy (which complemented Workforce Plus) presents a framework and action plan achieving the Closing the Opportunity Gap target to “reduce the proportion of 16-19 year olds who are not in education training or employment by 2008.”
The overall aims of the strategy are:
- To increase educational attainment and opportunities pre 16.
- To increase retention in education and training post 16 to ensure young people move toward sustainable employment.
- To ensure that education, employment and training are financially viable options for young people.
- To remove the barriers to opportunities by providing the right support.
- The development of a joined up local delivery involving the public, private and voluntary sector.
While this initiative has a focus on increasing the opportunities for those young people who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET) it also takes a ‘prevention rather than cure approach’ by aiming to improve the choices and opportunities for those within the pre-16 compulsory education sector to try ‘stem the flow’ into NEET. The strategy recognises that a low educational attainment is a key factor in a young person becoming NEET and so it places a priority on improving the skills base of young people by supporting them into education and training rather than towards low skilled jobs that offer little or no training.
The Strategy recognises that certain sub-groups of young people are more likely to be NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, and should therefore be targeted for action and intervention. These sub-groups are:
- Care leavers
- Carers
- Young parents
- Young offenders
- Young people with low educational attainment
- Persistent truants
- Young people with physical/mental health problems
- Young people with drug or alcohol problems