MEDIA RELEASE

Embargoed until 1am, Friday October 10, 2014

Government has abandoned at-risk youth.

Latest education and training figures suggest the Government cut education programmes for at-risk youth even as youth unemployment increased.

Analysis by Salvation Army senior social policy analyst Alan Johnson shows the number of 15-19-year olds in work has plummeted by almost one-third, or about 50,000 young people, since 2007, before the global financial crisis.

During the same period, enrolments of younger people in tertiary education rose by a modest 5000 and enrolments of 16 and 17-year-olds at secondary school increased by around 10,000.

But disturbingly, and at a time when they needed support the most, the enrolments of 15 to 19-year-olds in programmes designed to help them into employment fell as programme budgets were cut between 2010 and 2012.

Between 2007 and 2013, the number of 15 to 19 year-olds in these targeted programmes fell 18.4 per cent. There are now around 75,000 young people under 25 not in work, education or training.

“That there remain some 25,000 young people under 20 and another 50,000 between 20 and 25 not in work or in meaningful education or training should be seen as a national disgrace, and not casually accepted as the status quo,” Mr Johnson says.

“The talents and energy of these young people is hugely important to harness at a time when we have a retirement age population growing at a rate of 400 to 450 people a week.”

This analysis is part of a paper to be delivered by Mr Johnson at the Society of Youth Health Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand, being held in South Auckland today.

Mr Johnson’s paper also reports Statistics New Zealand data showing the proportion of young people not in work, training or education has risen since 2010 in most North Island regions except Auckland.

‘It shows the much vaunted economic recovery has missed out at-risk youth in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and most other North Island towns and cities,’ he says.

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