MP Barry Sheerman has grilled the Prime Minister about making further education compulsory.
At a House of Commons liaison meeting, where all the chairs of select committees are able to put questions to Tony Blair, the Huddersfield MP asked questions about making higher education available to all.
Mr Sheerman, who chairs the education select committee, told the Prime Minister he thought youngsters who didn't stay on after age 16 did not have the skills to climb out of the minimum wage trap.
Mr Blair said he thought the system was getting better, but that there was room for improvement.
Mr Sheerman also asked if post-16 training schemes or apprenticeships could be made compulsory.
The PM said that could be unfair if the places for training were simply not there.
But he said that getting all school leavers on a course of some kind was an achievable goal.
