ST HELENS has come out tops in the North West for its efforts to persuade young people to take advantage of education and training.

Figures just out show that the rate of students continuing their education after the age of 16 is the best in the region at 80.2 per cent.

The next best authority in the region has a rate of 75 per cent, while nationally only three other authorities - in the South East - produce better figures than St Helens.

The figures are based on the number of young people staying on for sixth form, colleges or participating in government-supported work-based training.

The St Helens Lifelong Learning Partnership combines the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, Training and Enterprise, Careers Service, colleges, schools and local authority which all work closely together within the same geographical boundaries.

But the government has recently announced plans to create groupings responsible for much larger areas. Five are suggested for the whole of the North West.

Chief Executive of St Helens Careers Service Ltd., John Foster, commented: "St Helens has achieved a remarkably high participation rate given the amount of industrial change the borough has faced in recent years. "We have seen the reduction of some industries and even the elimination of others, such as coal mining, and to come so high in the national table says a great deal for the strength and co-operative working of the local partnership and the support and common sense of the young people and their parents."

Mr Foster added that whatever changes were made as a result of the Government's proposals it was hoped that the local focus would not be lost, even if it was embraced within a larger area grouping.

Nationally, St Helens comes out as the top area for the percentage of young people in government-supported work-based training.

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