To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many (a) 16-year-olds, (b) 17-year-olds and (c) 18 to 24-year-olds are (a) in part-time education and (b) not in any education. (182643)

I have been asked to reply.

Estimates of participation in education for those aged 16 to 18 are published annually by the Department in a Statistical First Release (SFR) each June. The most recent estimates of the number and proportion of academic age 16, 17, and 18-year-olds in England in full-time education, part-time education, and not in any education, are shown in the following tables. The figures relate to the end of 2006. Note that young people classed as ‘not in education' will include those in work-based learning and other training.

The Department does not publish estimates of participation in education above academic age 18. However, it is possible to produce estimates for 18 to 24-year-olds from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Estimates for England from the LFS, relating to the first quarter of 2007, are shown in the following tables. It is important to note that the LFS will not produce estimates that directly match those from the Department's Participation SFR, and that they will be subject to sampling error and respondent error. The LFS estimates of population size by cohort also differ from the Participation SFR. LFS estimates are also provided for young people of academic age 16, 17 and 18 for comparison with the Departments estimates as tabled above.

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his latest estimate is of the percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education or training in (a) England, (b) Leeds metropolitan district area and (c) Leeds West constituency. (183143)

I have been asked to reply.

Estimates of participation in education, training and employment in England for those aged 16 to 18 are published annually by the Department in a Statistical First Release (SFR) each June. The most recent estimate of the proportion of young people of academic age 16 to 18 not in any education or training in England was 22.7 per cent. This estimate relates to the end of 2006.

The Department also publishes local estimates of participation in England alongside the national figures, but these are available only for young people of academic age 16 and 17. The local figures are available by local authority, but cannot be broken down by parliamentary constituency. The local participation estimates cover those in full-time education, part-time education, and work-based learning, but do not identify young people in employer funded training¹ or other education and training² apart from those on a part-time education course. This means that young people on such training will be included in the “not in education or work-based learning” figure.

The most recent local estimates for Leeds relate to the end of 2005, and are shown in the following table. The equivalent national estimates, calculated on the same basis, are also shown for comparison.

¹ Employer-funded training covers employees who have received training in the past four weeks, other than on a part-time education course.

² Other education and training covers young people who are studying but are not included in other categories. For example those attending independent colleges or training centres, or those at any college in part-time study not reported as released from job.