A NEW "loyalty" card designed to encourage teenagers to stay in education is being piloted in the North-East.

The Government aims to get more young people to gain qualifications after they reach 16.

It has launched the Connexions Card, which offers discounts to youngsters who stay in education.

The card, which is aimed at 16 to 19-year-olds, rewards attendance and achievement with points that can build up to discounts on products, such as a free trip to a leisure centre, free cinema tickets, or a discount burger. It also offers holders discounts on books and transport.

It is being piloted in County Durham and Northumberland and is due to be launched nationally in September.

On a visit to Durham Gilesgate Sports College and Sixth Form Centre, yesterday, Minister for Lifelong Learning Malcolm Wicks said the scheme intended to make it financially easier for youngsters to stay in study.

Mr Wicks said: "The Connexion Card is an exciting new technology-based initiative that will encourage and reward young people who stay in learning.

"It is an important part of our Connexions strategy to provide the seamless support young people need as they make the transition from youth to adult.

"Financial barriers are a significant factor in preventing people from staying in learning after age 16, and the Connexion card is one way the Government is tackling the problem.

"Reducing some of those barriers by providing young people with help towards the costs of taking part in learning, as well as rewarding their efforts, will help us create a generation better equipped for the challenge of the new economy.'