MORE CARROTS THAN STICKS NEEDED FOR NEETS (not in education, employment or training)

5 November 2007

Martin Johnson, acting deputy general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: 

“The Government is right to want to do more to help young people who are not working or in education and training, but this group has the least successful and most disengaged youngsters. 

“We will need more carrots than sticks to attract this group back into learning.  Increasing the number of apprenticeship should help, but the Government needs to explain how it is going to persuade employers to provide an extra 90,000 places since traditionally few employers have been prepared to put money into training.

“Unless there is a strong chance of a job at the end it will be difficult – bordering on the impossible - to keep these youngsters interested in apprenticeships. 

“However, these changes are tinkering around the edges.  Instead, we really need a complete overhaul of the national curriculum and excessive testing regime so all young people acquire the skills they need for work and life after school and stay keen to learn throughout their lives.”