Editorial: Farewell to the Youth Opportunity Card

The Government has taken the right decision to scrap the initiative now. Given the revelation that the technology to run the card is not viable at present, the development costs would in all likelihood have spiralled out of control had the scheme been pursued.

More than 100m was wasted on the forerunning Connexions Card, take-up of which was shockingly poor before it was formally scrapped in February. The few who adopted that scheme were mainly sixth-form students, which did not bode well given the opportunity card was aimed at disadvantaged teenagers.

Its demise is, however, a severe humiliation for the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). On launching Youth Matters in July 2005, the press notice outlining the green paper's package of measures led on the opportunity card - it was billed as the centrepiece idea in the document for enabling positive activities. The failure of the card to get off the ground does herald new possibilities though, with the investment that had been earmarked to trial the scheme over the next two years now freed up.