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£11m boost as demand for sixth form places surges
12 Oct 2009Schools Secretary Ed Balls today said the demand from school leavers to take up new sixth form and apprenticeship places had "outstripped expectations".
He announced a further £11 million to pay for a further 2,300 places for teenagers - following the initial £655 million pledge for 55,000 extra places.
The pledge had been made in Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget with an aim to keep young people in training during the recession.
During Commons question time, Mr Balls said: "In the early summer, I pledged £655 million to ensure a sixth form place or apprenticeship place for every school leaver this September - that would be 55,000 more places.
"I have to report that the demand for these place has outstripped our expectations again.
"As a result, I'm making a further £11 million available now to pay for a further 2,300 places for school leavers this September.
"That will be a total of 57,300 places that will be guaranteed by this Government and would be cut by the Tories."
A spokeswoman from the Department for Children, Schools and Families said the £11 million would go to schools, colleges and employers to pay for the extra number of school leavers that started training last month.
