Figure 1: Participation in full-time education by 16-21year olds
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
|
V |
87/8 |
88/9 |
89/90 |
90/1 |
91/2 |
92/3 |
93/4 |
94/5 |
95/6 |
96/7 |
97/8 |
98/9 |
|
16 years______ |
45.1 |
51.5 |
55 |
59.3 |
66.6 |
69.9 |
72.4 |
71 |
70.4 |
69.7 |
69.3 |
70.5 |
|
17 years______ |
33.1 |
35.5 |
39.2 |
42.8 |
48.8 |
54.1 |
57.5 |
58.7 |
58.4 |
57.9 |
57.2 |
58.2 |
|
______18 years______ |
17.9 |
18.7 |
20.9 |
23.7 |
28.3 |
33.1 |
37 |
38.5 |
39.4 |
38.4 |
37.6 |
37.3 |
|
----Under 21 - HE |
14.6 |
15.1 |
17.1 |
19.3 |
23.3 |
27.8 |
31 |
32 |
32 |
33 |
34 |
32 |
Source: DfEE (1999c) Statistical Release SFR13/1999
Recent data suggest that there has been a modest revival of participation in full-time education at
16 and 17 years with an increase of about one per cent in 1998/9 (DfEE 1999c). Furthermore, the
DfEE has projected that between 1998 and 2001, participation in full-time education at 16 will
rise by four percentage points and by five points at 17+ as a result of the impact of the
Government’s widening participation measures (DfEE 1999b). However, small rises in 16+ and
17+ participation as a result of widening participation measures are unlikely significantly to affect
the higher education participation rate in the near future because students entering the system are
likely to be on Level 2 rather than on Level 3 courses. Moreover, progression rates of learners
taking post-16 Level 2 qualifications and subsequently entering Level 3 courses have been found
to be as low as 10 per cent (Ainley et al. 1999). Some encouragement, nevertheless, can be taken
from an underlying drift towards participation leading to Level 3 qualifications during the late-
1990s, but this is on a much more modest scale than in the late 1980s.
Attainment of qualifications by 16-19 year olds