It is a "catastrophic waste" to have young people not in education, employment or training, Bill Rammell has said.

The higher education minister told delegates at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth that having young people out of work and training affected both the economy "and society at large".

Speaking at a Shaw Trust fringe event run by ePolitix.com, he said the government was developing an action plan, due to be published in the next month, that would set out how to reduce the population of young people 'not in education, employment or training' (Neet).

There would be a focus on the six "hotspot areas" where the Neet population was particularly high, and Rammell said the government would "learn from these experiences".

Pointing to the "critical role" of the voluntary sector in helping Neet young people, he said it was important to focus on disabled people, who are twice as likely to fall into the category.

And he argued that government policies such as continuing education to 18 and extending diploma schemes would be key to helping non-academic pupils.

"The government will is there, the commitment is there, the resources are there", he said, but stressed that everyone must work together to deliver change.