New call over young in debt

A new call is being made to the government to act to bolster the prospects of young people, amid concerns about the debt those now in higher education are set to face when they graduate.

Trade union Unison is attending a demonstration over tuition fees staged by the National Union of Students and assistant general secretary Roger McKenzie will say education policies are "turning the clock back to the time when education was the preserve of the rich."

He will add: "Young people, especially those from poor families, are already being put off going to university by the huge cost."

Mr McKenzie is also set to attack the government over the ending of the Education Maintenance Allowance and the number of NEETs – those not in education, employment or training.

Official figures for those aged 16 to 24 show the unemployment rate in the three months to September was 20.7 per cent, or 963,000 people.

However, this was down by 49,000 on the period from April to June.

By Joe White