On paper, the West performs better than other parts of the country. The 3,047 Neets represents 5.9 per cent of that age group in the two counties, nearly 1 per cent lower than the national average. The figure has reduced in the peninsula, but slowly. That Neets fell by only 0.7 percentage points in the past year suggests those out of the loop are filed under the "hardest to reach" category.

Given the various costs, it is no surprise Government-funded agencies, local authorities and education providers are doing their utmost to find an answer for every single Neet in the region. Across the Westcountry, cash incentives, outward bound-style activities and new teaching facilities are all part of the multi-million pound Neets tonic. A version of a 20-week scheme, which cost £15,000 per head to help 15 potential Neets, is likely to be rolled out across Cornwall.

John Davey, director of service delivery for Connexions Devon and Cornwall, dismisses a suggestion there is an inherent laziness among the young generation. Connexions offers one-to-one advice on everything from A-level choices to drug misuse, but addressing the Neets issue is a key part of its remit.

Programmes include "activity agreements" where the agency pays for young people to get a taste of work in trades such as construction, as well as more enticing incentives such as sessions in the gym. The body knows 99 per cent of more than 53,000 youngsters aged between 16 and 18 year olds in the two counties, and aims to get in touch with those most at risk of becoming Neet.

There are good reasons not to leave Neets to fester. The DfES study showed they are 22 times more likely to be teenage mothers, 50 per cent more likely to suffer from poor health, 60 per cent more likely to be involved with drugs and more than 20 times more likely to become criminals.

The Westcountry has its own specific issues, not least the evergreen problems of rural isolation, seasonal employment and low pay. David Linnell, deputy chief executive of Cornwall College, identifies other distractions. Time was young people could leave school and walk into jobs in clay mining, fishing and farming, but traditional industries are now in decline. Surf culture also plays a part, affording a more desirable alternative to work if young people can bank enough money during the high tourist season.

Mr Linnell said: "The one that is the most challenging is the geography if you are a distance from your local further education college. And public transport is not as great as you would want it to be. We've tried to deal with it by taking the learning to the learner and be flexible with the programmes."

Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall venture in Newquay, where students from troubled backgrounds train to be chefs, is the most high profile example of this flexibility. The first wave of graduates from the restaurant, which has received more than £1 million of public money, included a 17-year-old who left school with no qualifications at 14, a young man sleeping on his friend's sofa and a mother who fell pregnant in her teens.

While the county-wide partnership of agencies, councils and the private sector involved in Fifteen Cornwall has been applauded, it is merely scratching the surface. There are scores of community-level projects, many beneath the radar, that are bringing young people in from the margins of society.

One example is Cornwall College's work with Treviglas Community College in Newquay. Treviglas identifies children as young as 14 who are at risk of becoming Neet. They are offered two days a week of vocational training with staff expertise bought in from Cornwall College. Courses available include business skills, sport, hair and beauty, childcare, public services, leisure and tourism, IT and catering.

On the remaining three days a week, pupils are taught core subjects. The idea is to remove excuses for failing students by offering activities they can relate to the world of work. Crucially, it is getting results, with GCSE results being five times better than expected.

Another Cornwall College initiative, Karenza, has taken a more sideways look at keeping young people in the system. The college's Camborne campus actively encourages teenage mothers to bring their children with them as they try "bite-size" training courses, with childcare professionals are available in the next room to look after the children.

Cornwall College is looking to make the county a "no Neets" zone. It is working with the local authority, plus two schools in Newquay and three in Camborne, Pool and Redruth to create a "single learning solution" for students aged 14 and over. Still waiting Government approval, it would be a larger version of the Treviglas model.

Cornwall is also pioneering a project that gets to potential Neets before they finish school. Two years ago, the county council was awarded £190,000 of Government funding to identify Year 10 students that were "potentially Neet". It was one of just three pilots in the country, and it chose pupils from Mid Cornwall's clay country.

The 20-week project was two-fold. During a four-week residential stay at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint, students took part in outward bound-style activities including a simulated capsizing boat, obstacle courses and navigational exercises on Dartmoor. The idea was to build teamwork and self-discipline. This was followed by 15 weeks of vocational training in areas such as painting and decorating and skateboard design.

Students had to work on improving literacy and numeracy skills, and canoeing, archery and other sports were also thrown into the mix. Of the 15 students that took part, two went on to be Navy chefs and the remaining 15 took college courses or went into jobs. The only sticking point was the cost: a thumping £15,000 per head. "It was incredibly expensive," said Mark Williams, skills development director of the South West's Learning and Skills Council.

With a further £200,000 from the DfES, a second pilot took place last year. The residential element took place at Penhale military camp near Newquay. A similar number of youngsters got jobs or continued education and the cost was brought down to £10,000 per head. The two projects have helped establish a service for youngsters known as Freetstyle which can supply funding for anything from a pair of safety boots to a dedicated supervisor in the workplace.

Mr Williams is about to submit a bid for £1 million of European funding to expand the project. The net would be widened to up to 120 students from across Cornwall.

In Devon, as in Cornwall, access to education and employment is one of biggest contributors to the Neet burden, according to Richard Haigh. The head of Coombeshead College in Newton Abbot is fronting a plan to create a new sixth form college in the town to address the Neet problem. The nearest college is in Paignton, a 25-mile round trip.

A partnership between Coombeshead, Newton Abbot, Teign and South Devon colleges, the consortium is applying for £5 million from the LSC to "plug a little gap in provision". It should go some way to bringing many of around 260 Neets in Teignbridge back into the fold.

"The friction of distance means significant numbers of young people don't engage in education or training post-16," said Mr Haigh.

"What that means is that significant numbers don't bother. The social impact of geography is to create social problems in an area from Dawlish to Ashburton as young people are dropping out of the system at 16. We are losing talent. However big the problem is now, over the next five to ten years it will get worse."