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Discusses the merits of the 14-19 White Paper on vocational education in Great Britain. Meeting the need for a coherent vocational progression route through level 3 and beyond; Similarity to the proposal to have a limited number of national vocational programs at the advanced level as the centerpiece; Earning of esteem by offering stimulating programs that lead to good jobs and the possibility of higher education.

Comments on the proposal of the Green Paper by the British government. Abolition of the term 'vocational' from the menu of available secondary education qualifications; Failure of the Green Paper identify the problems with vocational qualifications; Integration of apprenticeship arrangements with secondary education.

Focuses on the recommendations made by the British government to prevent student failures in the post secondary education level. Factors that cause failures among the students; Adjustments made by countries that have attained success in minimizing student failures; Errors in the government's methods of preventing failures among post-16 students.

Provides information on the International Adult Literacy Survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics on the poor literacy and numeracy among school leavers in Britain. Name of the countries who participated in study; Complaints of British employees; Details on other finding of study.

Focuses on a study which was conducted to show how well the adult populations of seven industrialised nations can read, do mathematics and process information. Findings from the study; Percentage of population on the highest of five literacy levels.

Reports on the controversy over demands for math to be taught in all courses leading to a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Great Britain. Concerns by inspectors from the Further Education Funding Council; Disparity between what is tested and what is needed; Design of NVQs; Under-specification in NVQ certification of the maths; Available options to overcome the narrow focus of NVQs.