Platform: Neets shouldn't be allowed to fall through the net, writes Isobel Grigor

In THE next few weeks thousands of school-leavers will decide their futures. Some will enter further or higher education and earn a qualification that will hopefully launch the start of a career; others may opt for the armed forces, apprenticeships or work. However, 11.9 per cent of all 16- to 19-year-olds will not access any of these paths. That's a staggering 31,000 of the total youth population in Scotland on the periphery.

Classed as Neet – those not in education, employment or training – what happens to these so-called drop-outs or school leavers? Some defy the statistics, appear on The Apprentice or Dragons' Den, a good news story all round. In reality many do not.

Nick Clegg's recent comments placed the responsibility on parents to nurture their children's potential. This is all well and good, but as we know this utopian society is not the world we live in. For many reasons, be those social, economic or cultural, the ambitions of eager politicians will not be satisfied. Statistics show us the majority in the Neet population derive from low-income families.

It is those who are left behind which we must cater for, those who do not have the right support. We need to provide the necessary training to ensure they are not left disengaged or fall into a cycle of life-long unemployment.And for those whom the classroom does not suit, then alternative training methods need to be explored. In Inverness, Artysans, a social enterprise caf, is being launched this month, the precursor to a planned hotel which will employ 30 young people to provide a four-star service. The motivation behind this hugely ambitious project is the knowledge that young people work best when presented with real challenges, but it will only work if businesses are willing to get involved and offer real jobs.

One-off initiatives by companies seen to be making a difference will not suffice. In 20 years working with young people, I've seen that when you raise the bar and provide offer challenges, time and time again they raise their game and rise to the occasion.

Isobel Grigor is chief executive of the Calman Trust