Investment in targeted and effective programmes is essential to help young people who are not in education, employment or training – those most at risk of entering a life of crime – gain the key skills to find work or move into education.
At The Prince's Trust, for example, seven out of 10 of those engaging in our programmes go onto education, employment and training. And our 'xlerate with xl' clubs, aimed at 14-16 year olds, many of whom have already been in trouble with the law and are underachievers, poor attendees or are at risk of exclusion, sees more than 90 per cent of them stay in education or go into employment and training.
This clearly represents considerable value for money, given the costs of social exclusion which, according to our Cost of Exclusion report produced in conjunction with the Royal Bank of Scotland last year, amounts to more than £92million each year due to the cost of crime alone.
With one in five of Scotland's young people classed as not being in education, employment or training – one of the highest rates in the developed world – this is a tremendous waste of individual human potential and it is the voluntary sector, working in conjunction with the Scottish Government and Scotland's local authorities, that will be the key to addressing this challenge.
But the reward is worth it. With research estimating the cost of a single person not in employment, education or training at £52,000 during his or her lifetime, and considerably more for those who drift into crime and antisocial behaviour, it makes simple economic sense to tackle this now, rather than storing up future social problems and costs.

Geraldine Gammell
(director)
The Prince's Trust Scotland
Queen Street
Glasgow