The government has urged councils and schools in England to drastically improve the way they identify young people at risk of dropping out of training and work, as it admitted thousands are unaccounted for.
Publishing official figures on Thursday, the government said councils had no information on the whereabouts of 32,100 young people aged 16 to 17 who were not in education, employment or training (Neet).
Against the backdrop of a worsening youth jobs crisis, it said this meant thousands of vulnerable teenagers were in danger of missing out on support because local authorities did not have complete information.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said she was writing to all councils demanding improvements to the identification and support of young people at risk of becoming “phantom Neets”.
She will also write to 26 of the councils facing the greatest challenges, which do not know the activities of 3% or more of their teenagers, with expectations for improvement plans to be agreed over the next six months supported by new tools and guidance from the government.
Separately, the government said new guidance for schools and colleges was being published to help teachers identify and support those pupils who were most likely to drop out.
A major report by the former health secretary Alan Milburn, published in May, warned Britain risked creating a “lost generation” of young people amid a dramatic rise in the number of Neets to more than 1 million.
According to the latest figures, only four councils in England have completed information on the whereabouts of the 16- to 17-year-olds who are Neet living in their area.
The quality of data collection varied significantly across the country and according to ministers was creating a “stark postcode lottery” for young people who were missing out on help as a result.
Ministers highlighted how one local authority, North Lincolnshire council, was missing information for nearly half of its 16- and 17-year-olds.
Research from the Resolution Foundation thinktank last year showed that in Dudley, West Midlands, more than one in five 16- to 17-year-olds had fallen off the local authority’s records compared with fewer than one in 50 in London boroughs including Barnet and Ealing.
Overall, official statistics published in March show an estimated 57,000 16- and 17-year-olds are Neet.
Phillipson said: “This is one of the defining challenges of this government. Fixing it is crucial to the prosperity of our country: we cannot afford to let a generation of young people drift away from opportunity and more fulfilled lives.
“Accurate, timely tracking is not a box-ticking exercise, it’s the difference between a young person getting support early or falling through the cracks entirely. While local authorities do incredibly difficult work, often against real constraints, it’s not consistent enough.
“We’re supporting councils to intervene early to help as part of our new deal for young people to ensure they realise their potential through worthwhile training and stable careers.”
