I hope this is helpful. The range and quality of training for unemployed people aged 25 and over is being enhanced across the country next year. From April it will provide flexible, individually-tailored help, including training and work experience, to all those who have been unemployed for 18 months or more. At the same time we are investing heavily in training to help those who need to improve their literacy and numeracy. Taken together, these measures will greatly improve the help on offer to adults who need to improve their skills in order to find work.
Truancy has a damaging impact on the educational and life chances of children.
We are determined to tackle it. In addition, we are giving schools in Excellence in Cities areas funds to recruit Learning Mentors, who can directly help children at risk of truancy. Where schools have introduced electronic registration of attendance, independent evaluation has shown that truancy can be reduced by 10 per cent. Our aim is to ensure that at least 500 secondary schools with poor attendance levels will be able to benefit from this additional funding. The extra money is an important element in our overall drive to reduce truancy in school and get all our children learning and preparing for adult and working life.