During 2006 we commissioned some research in the West Midlands to follow up the findings of the earlier report Rural Economies: Stepping Stones to a healthier future which raised concerns about the lower number of rural young people in the West Midlands taking up further education and training opportunities, and local employment, compared to other regions.

The study showed that females tended to demonstrate higher aspirations than their male counterparts and appeared more outward looking than young men, particularly those aged between 22 and 25 years. In contrast, while males wishing to pursue professional careers appeared as likely to migrate from rural areas as their female counterparts, they commonly expressed views about returning to their local areas and earning a living.

 Gaining an education and other professional qualifications were identified as reasons to leave their local area, although some young people hoped in the future to return to take up further education and job opportunities if they were available locally and within reasonable traveling distance.

Those young people who took up local employment opportunities tended to follow the apprenticeship route or chose to attend local colleges, which focused on agriculture and engineering subjects, and then hoped to take up careers in the local agricultural sector.

Further evidence on the out-migration debate on young people is covered in the research report Should I stay or should I go?published by ippr North, supported by the Commission. The report found that young people in rural areas could not access the education and training opportunities they needed or were entitled to.

The report, published in August 2006, argues that the new 14 – 19 vocational diplomas are unlikely to be offered consistently. It is unlikely that general further education colleges in rural areas will be able to offer all the new diplomas in every area, despite the fact that young people have a statutory entitlement to study these diplomas.

This could exacerbate the number of young people leaving rural areas for better education and employment opportunities.