WARWICKSHIRE teenagers get a better start in life than most – and that’s official.
A recent publication from the Department for Education (DfE) has shown Warwickshire County Council (WCC) is one of the most successful local authorities in the country for ensuring 16 and 17 year-old residents are either in education, employment or training.
The DfE require all local authorities to collect and report information about a young person’s post-16 activity on a monthly basis.
Warwickshire’s numbers of young people either not in education, employment or training (NEETs) are currently standing at around two thirds of both the regional and national average.
This year, Warwickshire has two per cent of 16 and 17 year olds in a NEET situation and 1.9 per cent whose activities were not known. This gives a combined score of 3.8 per cent which compares to the West Midlands average of 5.7 per cen and the England average of 5.5 per cent.
This marks a trend in which Warwickshire has been excelling in recent years and the county is now placed among the highest performing areas of England, based on comparable local authority areas (size/population etc).
Since 2017, Warwickshire has consistently reported significant improvement in the reduction of the numbers of young people who were NEET, including those 16 and 17 year olds whose activity is not known.
Coun Jeff Morgan, WCC spokesman for children, families and education, said: “Ensuring all of our young people in Warwickshire have a bright future and access to opportunities for rewarding employment is one of the county council’s key priorities.
“I am delighted that the government’s most recent report shows we continue to have such a low proportion of 16 and 17 year olds who are not participating in education, employment or training.
“It shows our systematic approach, our robust tracking and our excellent partnerships with schools, colleges and training providers is proving very successful.
” It also shows that we have not rested on our laurels following recent successes but have built on that progress. While I am delighted with this year’s performance, I hope that the trend will continue in Warwickshire over coming years.
“I would like to thank, both personally and on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, all the schools, colleges and training providers across the county who offer a fantastic range of education and training provisions that engages our young people and ensure that these figures are consistently low.
“This achievement is made all the more profound in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic when other local authority areas both in the West Midlands and England have seen their NEET figures increase as a direct result of the pandemic.”
More information about Warwickshire’s support for NEET children in Warwickshire can be found online at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/neet
