Why school leaving age ‘should be raised to 18’

PUPILS should be forced to stay in school until they are 18 unless they are in employment or training, according to a think-tank.

In a report published today, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland says we should abolish the schoolleaving age of 16 to help prepare for working with robots.

Instead, it calls for a requirement that everyone under the age of 18 must be in either the classroom or the workplace.

The recommendation comes in a report on the impact automation and ageing may have on the country. IPPR Scotland estimates the cost of investment needed for training to prepare for automation could be £250million a year by 2025.

Director Russell Gunson said: ‘Aside from Brexit, preparing for automation and ageing should be the top priority for Scotland.’

According to the paper, 46 per cent of all jobs in Scotland have the potential to be changed in the coming years as a result of automation.

At the same time, the increasing number of elderly people means there will need to be ‘significant increases in productivity’ from the working population.

IPPR Scotland is calling for the existing school leaving age to be replaced with ‘a skills participation age of 18’. In addition, it recommends that everyone under 21 should be involved in learning new skills by 2025.

It said the Scottish Government should introduce a target of 100,000 workers aged over 25 involved in the skills system by then.

Mr Gunson said: ‘Investment in education and training, and lifelong learning in particular, will be the single most important way to get Scotland ready to take the advantages coming our way through technological change.

‘This won’t come cheap. However, the costs of not investing could be far more significant than doing so.’

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘Ensuring Scotland has a skilled and productive workforce, both now and in future, is central to our ambitions.

‘The IPPR’s report underlines the importance of Scotland’s skills system meeting our future skills needs. We will consider the recommendations fully.’