preventing the use of residencebased criteria for admission and encouraging the entry of new schools would be warranted as recommended in the oecd economic survey of the united kingdom oecd a the number of young people neither in education nor in employment or training neets has swelled during the recession and is among the highest in the oecd the government s commitment to raise the compulsory participation age to in and in will increase participation in education and training what is most important though is that students are equipped with the adequate skills to enter the labour market available evidence suggests that some vocational training has a low or even negative impact on future returns machin and vignoles with the exception of some highquality apprenticeships reducing the complexity of the system and the fragmentation of the programmes while increasing the quality and the number of available positions may enhance the attractiveness of vocational training having a positive impact on labour market outcomes and productivity