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Investigates the importance of basic skills in literacy and numeracy for success on intermediate vocational courses at the age of 16 and above in London, England. Measurement of attainment in literacy and numeracy; Assessments by the Basic Skills Agency; Importance of motivation to succeed.

The transition to mass participation in post-16 education, which had occurred considerably earlier in other European countries, has finally taken place in England. However, high drop-out and failure rates persist, particularly on vocational qualification routes. Our hypothesis is that an important factor is the lack of basic competence of lower-achieving English students in the key skills - English language and mathematics - required for success in further study. Our research addresses the validity of the argument by investigating whether any significant difference can be detected between the skills of English students entering post-compulsory education and those of students in countries where drop-out and failure rates are low. The country investigated in this study was Sweden where participation of 16 year olds in post-compulsory upper-secondary education is currently over 90%; and where some 90% of those enrolling normally obtain an academic or vocational qualification. Some General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) mathematics questions were incorporated into the national test taken by Swedish 16 year olds at the end of compulsory schooling; and significant differences were found in the scores of the lower 40% of the cohort in the two countries. The results are consistent with the hypothesis; and also go beyond previous Swedish-English comparisons, which reflect the general emphasis in international studies on younger age groups (typically 9 and 13 year olds). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the rationale underlying the 1981 study conducted by the British National Institute for Economic and Social Research on the state of education in Great Britain. Comparison of the labor force's performance between Great Britain and other countries in Europe; Implications of European practice for education and training policies in Great Britain.