Steep increase in 'Neets' revealed

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According to official Government data, there are now 132,000 more so-called Neets - young people "not in education, employment or training" than there were in 2003.

The Tories, who obtained the figures in response to a parliamentary question, said they showed the Government had failed to tackle the issue.

The data showed there are now around 840,000 Neets, compared to 708,000 in 2003. The biggest growth was among people in their early 20s, with 113,000 20-year-olds, 103,000 21-year-olds, 115,000 22-year-olds, 114,000 23-year-olds and 94,000 24-year-olds falling into the category.

In 2003, the figures for each of these age groups was between 75,000 and 96,000.

Shadow skills secretary David Willetts said it showed that Neets are "no longer a teenage problem." He said: "If, back in 1997, we had predicted a rise in the number of Neets under Labour, we would not have been believed.

"The rise is vivid evidence of the deep problems in our education and training system. And it shows that young people are especially badly-placed to ride out the coming recession.

"People are dropping out once school finishes because they can't find the right opportunities."

He added: "That is why we need a big extension of practical vocational training for people who don't want to go back to the classroom."

Provisional figures for England released in June showed that the proportion of Neets aged 16 to 18 had fallen to 9.4% in 2007 from 10.4% in 2006. But this still meant that nearly one in 10 teenagers were out of work, and not in training or studying for qualifications.