Angela Rayner, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on the latest Office of National Statistics figures on NEETs, said:

“Although we welcome the fall in the number of young people not in education, employment, or training there are still nearly 850,000 young people who are being left out and left behind. This should be a cause for deep concern to us all. There is no room for complacency.

“With the schools budget facing real terms cuts for the first time in nearly 20 years, swingeing cuts to the further education budget, and a continued obsession with funding higher education through debt, this Government is making it much more difficult for many young people to get on in life.

“With students facing rising tuition fees, the withdrawal of housing benefit, and real wages still lower than they were in 2007, it comes as no surprise that there are still so many young people not in education, employment, or training.”

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