School to work

Charlie Taylor, the Government’s Expert Advisor on Behaviour, was asked last autumn by the Education Secretary to review policy on school attendance. His report has now been published and highlights the evidence that children who have had poor school attendance are more likely to be not in employment, education or training (NEET) after leaving school. While trends in attendance continue to improve, there is still a significant minority who regularly do not attend and truancy is not the only reason for this. A paper from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation asks whether changing aspirations and attitudes amongst parents and children can improve educational attainment, finding that the emphasis should rather be on keeping aspirations on track. From the employment side of the NEET question, a discussion paper from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) promotes innovation in engaging employers in tackling youth unemployment. A report from the Work Foundation also highlights the difficulties faced by NEETs: Lost in transition stresses that transition into work for young people is becoming increasingly difficult. The Government’s social mobility advisor, Alan Milburn, has reported on progress towards fair access to professional careers, indicating that there’s still considerable room for improvement.