Intervention strategies for supporting achievement in education among 16-18 year olds

The 16-18 year period is a crucial time for the personal and professional development of young people. Over the past ten years a range of educational innovations have been introduced which are having a profound effect on many in this age group including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) based on nationally agreed standards of professional competence and intended as occupational awards. More recently, General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) have developed beyond the pilot stage, adding a broader vocational perspective and providing enhanced opportunities for progression to higher education. These have opened the door to new opportunities for progression to higher education for the 16 18 age group. The new qualifications are more easily identified through comparison with the corresponding and more traditional qualifications, as shown in table one. Traditionally, British universities have had a history of fairly high completion rates owing to stringent entry requirements and full funding for students. This is not the case in the vocational education system where access to GNVQ and NVQ programmes is facilitated through less rigid entry requirements, and, particularly in relation to GNVQs, the students tend to be school-leavers. In addition, the vocational awards are complex in terms of structure and make considerable demands on student autonomy. While the issue of student funding in vocational education is currently under review, students have not usually been funded through maintenance grants, though local education authorities have offered a small number of discretionary grants, usually to mature students.