John Howson notes a surprising, and worrying, drop in the proportion of older teenagers in education or training.
More teenagers may be going on to university but there has been a surprisingly sharp drop in the percentage of 16-year-olds in post-compulsory education and training.
During the late 1990s the proportion of 16-year-olds in England receiving education or Government-supported training actually fell from just over 80 per cent to 76 per cent. However, in Wales and Scotland participation rates reached record levels.
In England, the proportion of 16-year-olds in full-time further education declined from 37.1 to 35 per cent between 19956 and 19989. The proportion following Government training schemes fell from 10.8 to 8.9 per cent during the same period. These drops probably occurred because of the upturn in the economy, which may have improved job opportunities for 16-year-old school-leavers.
Although the percentage of 16-year-olds in full-time FE fell in England, colleges continued to cater for a higher proportion of this age group than schools. However, the gap between FE and school participation diminished during the late 1990s. In 19956, 3.3 per cent more 16-year-olds were studying full-time in FE than were in school; by 19989 the gap was just 0.6 per cent.
In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, far higher percentages of this age group were in school rather than FE.
Although the percentage shifts are relatively small, they raise questions about how education and training for this age group will be managed in future. The Learning and Skills Council now has overall responsibility in England for post-16 issues outside higher education.
Managing the needs and expectations of many different partners will be not be easy. The danger remains of a split between schools offering 16-year-olds academic courses and FE providing the only vocational alternative.
However, the alternative, of schools offering vocational courses for which they are ill-equipped, is also unacceptable. What is needed is a comprehensive review of post-16, or even post-14 education and training.
John Howson is the managing director of Education Data Surveys. Email john.howson@lineone.net
