The school-to-work transition in England and Wales

摘要

Purpose - Aims to consider whether the expansion of post-compulsory education has led to greater benefits for members of one socio-economic group than another. Design/methodology/approach - Uses a multinomial logit model of the choice of first destination, using the Youth Cohort Survey data for England and Wales, from 1985 to 1992. Findings - Whilst prior attainment has the strongest influence on selecting academic further education, participation rates into post-compulsory education have also increased for young people of average ability. Interaction effects clearly show that for even the most able, the socio-economic status of parents is an important influence on the choice of destination. The greatest benefit from the increased provision of post-compulsory education after conditioning for ability has been to young people from high socio-economic groups. Originality/value - Provides analysis, following investigation, of the main transmission mechanisms that determine choice at age 16.