A duty on businesses to provide or monitor training for full-time young employees has been delayed indefinitely over fears it could increase youth unemployment, a year before the participation age is set to increase.
Under proposals to raise the participation age, which were first set out by the previous Labour government, young people will be legally required to stay on in education or training until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17 from next summer, rising to 18 in 2015.
As part of this, employers would have had to provide training towards an accredited qualification for young employees working for more than 20 hours a week, or alternatively check that the young person was enrolled in accredited part-time training and monitor their attendance.
In a written ministerial statement, Education Secretary Michael Gove said that the government still wants to raise the participation age from next year, but that introducing the requirement on employers could deter them from taking on young people.
Gove said: “We are committed to raising the age of compulsory participation in education or training to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. Young people will either study full or part-time at a school or college, or be in work but released for training opportunities.
“The government want to do all they can to support employers who want to hire young people. The government has decided that we must not at this point put in place barriers that may deter employers from employing young people.”
A statement released by the Department for Education said responses from a consultation on the issue suggested that potential fines for employers would discourage businesses from hiring 16- to 17-year-olds.
It added that the “principal focus” at the current time must be on increasing growth in employment, and “minimising new burdens on businesses recruiting employees”.
The statement said: “These duties will remain on the statute book and we will keep this under review, with the option to introduce the employers’ duties and enforcement in future, if these were needed.”
But shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said removing the duty for employers undermined the entire process of raising the participation age.
“The move will reduce opportunities for young people to work flexibly and balance the needs of employment and education,” he said.
“If the government is serious about raising the age at which young people leave education, they should implement the measures included in the legislation Labour introduced, such as requiring employers to check a young person is enrolled on a course before employing them and arrange work to fit round education or training.
“It is not enough to simply say you want something to happen – you have to back up these words with real action.”