From learning to earning: understanding the school-to-work transition in London

Reducing high youth unemployment depends on returning the economy as a whole to growth and high employment. But in the longer term, supporting smoother transitions from learning to earning will require a combined economic and skills strategy to improve the quality of the jobs available to young people and ensure that vocational courses support mobility and progression in the labour market.

A more strategic approach is required to ensure that local educational provision is joined up and caters to the diverse needs of young people. This paper makes four recommendations:

1. Devolve commissioning responsibility to ensure a more strategic approach to education
2. Improve the information available to inform young people's choices
3. Raise the quality of vocational education
4. Offer a 'something for something' deal to encourage employers to recruit and train young people