The North East Mayor has announced plans to invest more than £8 million to create hundreds of new college places across the region, following a report that found around a fifth of young people in the North East are classed as NEET – not in education, employment or training.
The figure means the North East has the highest NEET rate in the country, totalling more than 64,000 people. A report presented to the mayoral authority's cabinet on Tuesday warned that there is a "significant risk" of more youngsters being classed as inactive over the next three years amid fears of a shortage of places at the region's sixth forms and colleges.
Investment in 13 institutions
Speaking at the meeting, Mayor Kim McGuinness said: "This is an investment of £8 million in 13 institutions to make sure the right courses that play into the right jobs are available across our region.
"It has been a long-held believe that we should have more sat over 16-19 education. These are decisions that we should be making in the region in collaboration with the people that want to employ these young people - and those young people themselves."
"The fact that we have got a new word for young people who have not been given the opportunities they deserve - it can have a really long term impact on their future. This is a big move towards tackling that, but we know there's more to do.
"Doing the same thing we have always done for generations has not worked. It has made things worse."
New places at colleges
Each of the seven local authorities that falls under the mayoral authority umbrella will get a share of the funding. More than 320 new places will be created at Gateshead College alone, along with 280 at New College Durham. The money will be used to fund capital projects to expand learning space, creating at least 1,638 additional spaces.
Newcastle City Council leader Colin Ferguson said: "These are young people that need support and help to make the best of their gifts and talents. This is the defining challenge of our time.
"I don't like the term NEET - I don't like that we have to have the term. If we don't get this right, this is lost talent and lost opportunity in the future.
"It's a paramount duty for us to support young people to live fulfilling, happy lives and if this goes some way to tackling that challenge then we have done a good thing today."
