A government pilot to encourage young people in work to undergo training has been marred by low take-up, an evaluation has found.
Just 9,500 young people, or seven per cent of those eligible, signed up to Learning Agreements, and only 5,300 have actually started learning, according to the report commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). So far only 3,150 have achieved qualifications. Given the £80m outlay, that amounts to more than £25,000 per young person.
The Learning Agreements were piloted in eight areas from April 2006 and much trumpeted by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown. Under the joint initiative between Connexions and the Learning and Skills Council, 16- and 17-year-olds who were working but not in training were encouraged to sign a Learning Agreement drawn up with a Connexions adviser. In some areas the young person and their employer received a £250 bonus.
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