The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reported in September 2009 that the UK has one of the highest rates of Neets of its members, with more than one in 10 young people out of work, training or education, potentially putting them at risk of long-term employment.
The Education and Skills Act 2008 attempts to remedy this by placing a "duty to participate" in education or training on 16- and 17-year-olds in England. The duty attempts to address a number of factors that are of concern to the government including society's growing dependence on a highly skilled workforce, fears of a projected skills deficit in the UK, the reduction in the amount of unskilled jobs available, and of course government's failure to cut the number of Neets. This Act has been passed, while a number of new qualifications for young people are still in development. The Foundation Learning Tier, diplomas and apprenticeships will join GCSEs and A-levels as recognised qualifications.
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