UK failing to keep students on after 16, report shows
13-September-2005
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From the Education Guardian. "More pupils leave school at 16 in the United Kingdom than in most other industrialised countries, a decision for which they are economically disadvantaged for life, an international study reported today." the report they are citing is by the OECD.
This was a big topic of discussion at the ECER VETNET conference last week. What is surprising is that despite years of policy initiatives and constant tinkering with the system, the proportion staying on is falling.
Extended text for this entry:
Explanations are tricky (and one person I spoke to last week said the census figures which have been used for analysis are a bit dodgy). One reason may be the relative economic prosperity in the UK. Another is that despite all the pronouncements of how important higher level of skills are in the so-called knowledge economy, employers remain perfectively happy to recruit unqualified staff - especially in the growing service sector.
A further possible explanation is in the persistent failure to establish a respected vocational training or apprenticeship path. Apprenticeship remains seen as something for people who fail to get into university. Whilst this viewpoint persists we are unlikely to see any lasting change in participation rates.
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