SCOTTISH YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION, TRAINING OR EMPLOYMENT AT RECORD HIGH

The proportion of young people in Scotland in education, training or employment has increased to a record 91.8%, a 0.7% increase over last year.

The number of young people not currently in education, training or employment also fell to 3.4%, a 0.7% decrease since 2017.

The figures also showed that 87.1% of 16-19 year olds from minority ethnic groups are participating in education, 15.8% higher than the UK average.

The participation gap between those living in the 20% most deprived areas and those in the 20% least deprived areas continues to narrow, from 11.5% in 2017 to 10.8% in 2018.

Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills Jamie Hepburn MSP said:

“These record figures show that our efforts to encourage and support young people to stay in learning, training and work are working for the vast majority across Scotland.

“As well as a continued reduction in the participation gap for those living in the most deprived areas, reflecting the impact our commitment to delivering excellence and equity for all is having a positive impact on participation rates.”

Patricia Gibson MP added:

“The Scottish National Party (SNP) The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering positive outcomes for all young people.

“As well as achieving its target of reducing youth unemployment by 40% four years ahead of schedule, the SNP Government has exceeded its annual target of 27,000 Modern Apprenticeships (MA) opportunities in 2017/18. It is now working towards delivering 28,000 opportunities in 2018/2019 in line with its commitment to increase MA starts to 30,000 by 2020.”

The annual participation measure is published by Skills Development Scotland at:

https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/publications-statistics/statistics/participation-measure/?page=1&statisticCategoryId=7&order=date-desc

ENDS