Commenting on Gordon Brown’s announcement today that he backs plans to ensure that teenagers stay in education or training until the age of 18, David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“We support proposals to raise the age to which young people must be in compulsory education or training. It is imperative that we increase skills levels in our society if we are to remain a competitive economy in the face of continuing globalisation.

“However, the implementation of such changes will be absolutely critical. Large numbers of young people currently opt out of education or training at 16 - we do not want to see employers disadvantaged and disrupted by having to take on young people who simply don’t want to be in the workplace.”

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