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.