Young people who do not go
down an academic route can face a messy, and at times difficult, transition into
employment.16 It has been argued that overall school standard rises might be
disguising a neglect of poorer performing students who are unlikely to meet the
5 GCSE A*-C headline indicator.17 Furthermore, there is an increasing emphasis
from employers on young people having the right soft skills to access work.
For those with poor skill levels (both soft and hard) an increasingly competitive
labour market is likely to have placed some young people in a position of
increasing disadvantage.