Unqualified youngsters four times more likely to be unemployed than students with an A- level

24 February 2010

UCU releases details of regions' 'qualification deserts'

UCU today said the current jungle of further education funding streams was a nightmare to negotiate and needed urgent simplification. The union said access to qualifications was vital as figures showed that youngsters with no qualifications were over four times more likely to be unemployed than those with an A-level (see table below).

UCU has analysed over 200 local authorities, including major towns, cities and counties to show the number of 16-24 year-olds without qualifications. The results reveal stark differences. The average percentage of 16-24 year olds with no qualifications is 11.5%, but the figure is as high as one in four in parts of London and the West Midlands (full national breakdown below).

The call comes as young people not in education, employment and training (known as NEETs) from the around the country prepare to grill politicians from the three main parties about their plans for education. The event has been organised by UCU to highlight the plight of the one million plus NEETs in England alone.

Shamayal Yakoob, 18 and from Hodge Hill in Birmingham is one of the NEETs attending the event. He said: 'I have tried to get into college many times, but my name is just put down on the waiting list. The colleges which do offer spaces are on the other side of the city and I simply cannot afford to pay the travel costs. I have tried to look for jobs but, without any qualifications, I am not getting anywhere and it's just like banging my head against the wall.'

Diane Johnson, 21 and from Pontefract in West Yorkshire is also travelling down for the event. She said: 'I am currently looking for a job and would like to study at college but it's really hard to find a course. Because I am over 19 they cost loads of money and I was forced to drop out because the funding I needed was delayed by two months. Politicians need to start listening or there will be more people facing the same obstacles as me.'

Shamayal and Diane will be joined by youngsters from Liverpool, London and Bristol. The union said inequalities in access to education risked creating a lost generation of young people and would have a devastating effect on the economy. Educational underachievement already costs the UK an estimated £18bn a year*.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The current funding streams for further education are a complete minefield and impossible to navigate. It's as if the system has been designed deliberately to put people off.

'It is deeply worrying that that young people with no qualifications are over four times more likely to be unemployed than youngsters with an A-level. The country cannot afford a lost generation of young people if it wants to remain a key player in the knowledge economy.'

Unemployment of 18 to 24 year olds in England by highest qualification held: Three month periods ending September 2009: England, not seasonally adjusted

National qualification framework (NQF)	Total economically active	Unemployed and not in full-time education	percentage
No qualifications	120,000	40,000	33
Below NQF Level 2 (equivalent to one GCSE)	522,000	121,000	23
NQF Level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs at grade A-C)	761,000	119,000	16
NQF Level 3 (equivalent to one A-level)	1,044,000	88,000	8

Source: Hansard, 18 January 2010, column 54W. PQ Laws to Smith

Percentage of 16-24 year olds (yo) with NO qualifications

Local Authority	Total 16-24 yo	16-24 yo with NO quals	% of total with no quals	Rank
	Total 16-24 yo	16-24 yo with NO quals	% of total with no quals
United Kingdom	7,296,900	838,500	11.5
Haringey	31,400	8,000	25.6	1
Wolverhampton	29,600	7,500	25.4	2
Barking and Dagenham	21,200	4,900	23.0	3
Redcar and Cleveland	16,700	3,400	20.4	4
Eilean Siar	3,000	600	20.2	5
Stoke-on-Trent	28,200	5,600	20.0	6
Northamptonshire	86,300	17,200	19.9	7
Merthyr Tydfil	6,800	1,400	19.9	8
Thurrock	17,400	3,400	19.7	9
Sandwell	37,500	7,000	18.5	10
Knowsley	23,800	4,300	18.2	11
Birmingham	146,200	26,300	18.0	12
Calderdale	24,400	4,200	17.2	13
Sutton	18,100	3,100	17.1	14
Essex	148,800	25,300	17.0	15
Peterborough	21,900	3,700	16.6	16
Hillingdon	29,200	4,800	16.5	17
Oldham	30,700	5,000	16.4	18
Halton	14,100	2,300	16.3	19
Kingston upon Hull, City of	43,700	7,100	16.3	20
Sefton	37,200	6,000	16.2	21
Barnsley	27,100	4,400	16.2	22
Croydon	38,900	6,300	16.1	23
Torfaen	10,800	1,700	16.0	24
Blackpool	15,900	2,500	15.9	25
Luton	28,200	4,400	15.5	26
Carmarthenshire	18,900	2,900	15.4	27
Rochdale	23,900	3,600	15.3	28
Bradford	65,800	10,100	15.3	29
Blackburn with Darwen	15,100	2,300	15.2	30
Wokingham	16,200	2,500	15.2	31
Cheshire West & Chester	33,500	5,100	15.1	32
Manchester	81,200	12,300	15.1	33
Suffolk	71,100	10,700	15.1	34
Richmond upon Thames	16,000	2,400	15.0	35
Rotherham	29,800	4,400	14.9	36
Leicester	50,700	7,600	14.9	37
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	28,600	4,300	14.9	38
Kirklees	43,100	6,400	14.8	39
Walsall	29,300	4,300	14.6	40
Pembrokeshire	11,700	1,700	14.6	41
North Lincolnshire	17,300	2,500	14.5	42
Lambeth	31,200	4,500	14.5	43
Warwickshire	50,100	7,200	14.4	44
Solihull	23,800	3,400	14.4	45
Wigan	37,900	5,400	14.3	46
Newham	40,000	5,600	14.1	47
St. Helens	22,000	3,100	13.9	48
Sheffield	81,000	11,200	13.8	49
Bexley	24,600	3,300	13.5	50
Gwynedd	15,200	2,000	13.5	51
Reading	20,000	2,600	13.3	52
Caerphilly	20,100	2,700	13.3	53
Kent	151,900	20,100	13.2	54
Gateshead	20,300	2,700	13.1	55
Bolton	37,100	4,900	13.1	56
Salford	27,500	3,600	13.1	57
Liverpool	65,400	8,500	13.1	58
Nottinghamshire	91,500	12,000	13.1	59
Stockton-on-Tees	24,100	3,100	13.0	60
Harrow	23,000	3,000	13.0	61
Conwy	10,500	1,400	13.0	62
Wrexham	15,200	2,000	13.0	63
North Lanarkshire	38,600	5,000	13.0	64
Swindon	19,700	2,500	12.9	65
Dorset	36,500	4,700	12.9	66
Hounslow	28,200	3,600	12.8	67
Powys	12,200	1,600	12.8	68
Herefordshire, County of	19,400	2,500	12.7	69
Bristol, City of	62,000	7,900	12.7	70
Bridgend	14,600	1,900	12.7	71
Newport	17,600	2,200	12.6	72
North Ayrshire	15,000	1,900	12.6	73
Middlesbrough	20,400	2,600	12.5	74
Anglesey	7,200	900	12.5	75
Wakefield	40,800	5,100	12.4	76
West Dunbartonshire	11,500	1,400	12.4	77
Lewisham	30,400	3,800	12.3	78
The Vale of Glamorgan	14,200	1,700	12.3	79
Hartlepool	10,500	1,300	12.2	80
Buckinghamshire	45,800	5,500	12.1	81
Scottish Borders	9,800	1,200	12.1	82
Staffordshire	93,200	11,100	11.9	83
North East Lincolnshire	16,900	2,000	11.8	84
Plymouth	33,400	3,900	11.8	85
Bury	22,100	2,600	11.7	86
Derby	29,200	3,400	11.7	87
Ealing	40,100	4,700	11.7	88
Denbighshire	9,800	1,100	11.5	89
Worcestershire	57,100	6,500	11.4	90
Enfield	32,200	3,700	11.4	91
Medway	31,200	3,600	11.4	92
Swansea	32,500	3,700	11.4	93
Telford and Wrekin	19,600	2,200	11.3	94
Coventry	48,700	5,500	11.3	95
Lancashire	147,600	16,600	11.2	96
Doncaster	35,900	4,000	11.2	97
Dumfries & Galloway	13,400	1,500	11.2	98
Cardiff	57,800	6,400	11.1	99
Inverclyde	9,600	1,100	11.0	100
Poole	14,400	1,600	10.9	101
Slough	16,700	1,800	10.8	102
Nottingham	58,400	6,300	10.7	103
Darlington	9,000	900	10.6	104
Cheshire East	42,500	4,500	10.6	105
Redbridge	30,700	3,200	10.6	106
Surrey	109,900	11,600	10.6	107
Warrington	19,300	2,000	10.5	108
Islington	24,100	2,500	10.5	109
Tower Hamlets	32,800	3,400	10.5	110
Barnet	36,000	3,800	10.5	111
Falkirk	15,800	1,700	10.5	112
Renfrewshire	19,500	2,000	10.5	113
Isle of Wight	14,500	1,500	10.4	114
North Yorkshire	59,900	6,200	10.3	115
Neath Port Talbot	15,600	1,600	10.3	116
Leeds	133,600	13,600	10.2	117
Fife	43,900	4,500	10.2	118
Tameside	26,700	2,700	10.1	119
Wirral	32,600	3,300	10.1	120
Stockport	32,200	3,200	10.0	121
Leicestershire	67,800	6,800	10.0	122
Bedford	15,500	1,600	10.0	123
Waltham Forest	29,300	2,900	10.0	124
Hackney	22,900	2,300	9.9	125
Blaenau Gwent	8,500	800	9.9	126
Windsor and Maidenhead	14,400	1,400	9.8	127
County Durham	63,700	6,200	9.7	128
Argyll & Bute	8,000	800	9.7	129
Milton Keynes	25,300	2,400	9.6	130
West Sussex	73,300	7,000	9.6	131
South Gloucestershire	31,000	3,000	9.6	132
Perth & Kinross	14,200	1,400	9.6	133
South Ayrshire	11,500	1,100	9.6	134
Clackmannanshire	4,400	~	9.5	135
Stirling	11,900	1,100	9.5	136
Bromley	30,300	2,800	9.4	137
East Ayrshire	13,200	1,200	9.3	138
North Tyneside	20,000	1,800	9.2	139
East Riding of Yorkshire	32,700	3,000	9.2	140
Southend-on-Sea	16,200	1,500	9.1	141
East Lothian	8,900	800	9.1	142
Midlothian	8,700	800	9.0	143
Glasgow City	87,200	7,700	8.9	144
Orkney Islands	1,900	~	8.8	145
Derbyshire	79,100	6,900	8.7	146
Dundee City	21,300	1,800	8.7	147
South Tyneside	17,700	1,500	8.6	148
Havering	22,900	2,000	8.6	149
East Sussex	48,700	4,100	8.5	150
Newcastle upon Tyne	53,300	4,500	8.4	151
Merton	20,500	1,700	8.4	152
Devon	88,800	7,400	8.4	153
West Berkshire	15,300	1,300	8.3	154
Sunderland	35,600	2,900	8.2	155
Shropshire	27,100	2,200	8.2	156
Dudley	41,500	3,400	8.2	157
Trafford	24,000	2,000	8.1	158
Somerset	58,000	4,700	8.1	159
Cambridgeshire	70,800	5,700	8.0	160
Oxfordshire	86,100	6,800	7.9	161
Ceredigion	13,500	1,100	7.9	162
Northumberland	34,500	2,700	7.8	163
Gloucestershire	62,400	4,800	7.7	164
Flintshire	16,300	1,300	7.7	165
Hertfordshire	110,800	8,300	7.5	166
Camden	29,200	2,200	7.4	167
Greenwich	26,900	2,000	7.4	168
Cumbria	49,600	3,600	7.3	169
Angus	10,300	800	7.3	170
East Renfrewshire	10,000	700	7.2	171
Central Bedfordshire	27,800	2,000	7.1	172
Brent	33,700	2,400	7.1	173
Bath and North East Somerset	25,500	1,800	7.0	174
Bournemouth	20,600	1,400	7.0	175
North Somerset	22,200	1,500	7.0	176
Southampton	36,900	2,500	6.9	177
Cornwall	50,500	3,500	6.9	178
East Dunbartonshire	11,800	800	6.9	179
Wandsworth	23,700	1,600	6.8	180
Moray	8,500	600	6.8	181
Hampshire	141,000	9,500	6.7	182
South Lanarkshire	35,000	2,300	6.7	183
Kingston upon Thames	23,100	1,500	6.5	184
Portsmouth	30,700	2,000	6.4	185
Torbay	13,600	900	6.4	186
Wiltshire	43,100	2,800	6.4	187
Bracknell Forest	12,700	800	6.3	188
Lincolnshire	73,700	4,500	6.1	189
Norfolk	90,200	5,500	6.1	190
Highland	19,800	1,200	5.9	191
Kensington and Chelsea	16,700	1,000	5.8	192
Southwark	38,500	2,200	5.8	193
West Lothian	18,700	1,100	5.7	194
York	30,600	1,700	5.5	195
Westminster	33,300	1,800	5.4	196
Monmouthshire	8,300	~	5.2	197
Edinburgh, City of	71,000	3,000	4.2	198
Hammersmith and Fulham	20,000	800	3.9	199
Aberdeenshire	23,600	800	3.4	200
Brighton and Hove	35,500	1,100	3.0	201
Aberdeen City	28,900	500	1.8	202

Source: The Annual Population Survey. The datasets were extracted from the NOMIS website and the figures relate to the last quarter of 2008. www.nomisweb.co.uk

* The Cost of Exclusion: Counting the cost of youth disadvantage in the UK, Sandra McNally & Shqiponja Telhaj, April 2007

Last updated: 11 December 2015

PrintPrint this page
Share

Unqualified youngsters four times more likely to be unemployed than students with an A- level

Unemployment of 18 to 24 year olds in England by highest qualification held: Three month periods ending September 2009: England, not seasonally adjusted

Percentage of 16-24 year olds (yo) with NO qualifications

Contacts

UCU press office

UCU press office

Related links

Comments