§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what comparison has been made of places for careers among school leavers by the careers service in coalfield areas, compared to the national average. [82885]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggInformation in the following table has been taken from the annual activity survey of all school leavers in the autumn of the year they complete compulsory education undertaken by Careers Services and Connexions Partnerships. This data relates to all school leavers from the 2000–2001 academic year. It has not been possible to match the data exactly to the coalfield areas; data is collected by Education Authority and has been aggregated to provide the closest match possible. Details of areas included are given in the footnote to the table.
The table shows that in the coalfield areas, young people are less likely to be settled in full time education, or training and rely more heavily on government supported training than in non- coalfield areas. The table also shows a higher rate of unemployment for young people living in these areas.
Percentages Total of non coalfield areas 1Total of coalfied areas England Full-time education 72.3 67.9 71.7 Government supported training 3.6 7.4 4.0 Employment 11.9 12.5 12.0 Not settled in full time education training or employment 7.2 8.4 7.3 Of which: Part-time employment/training 0.5 0.4 0.5 Unemployed 5.5 6.4 5.6 Not active in labour market 1.1 1.7 1.2 No response/move away 5.1 3.8 5.0 Survey total 508,098 74,788 582,886 1 The closest approximation of the coalfield areas includes: Coventry, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Wakefield, Merseyside, St. Helens, Darlington, Durham, Northumberland, Sunderland