I work in a schhool in England! I have seen students who are labbelled "challenging" in a school enviroment! However when placed in a practical work enviroment their behaviour completely changes and they become "model workers"
Some people will never be academic so why can't the law allow some students at 14 to go into practical apprenticeship schemes! I bet it would reduce crime and teenage suicide too!What do you Think?
Love and Peace,
SHONA!!

I don't know what the laws in England say about it, but I think that is happening all the time in the USA. After retiring from a career in electrical engineering I taught vocational electricity in High Schools to students in 11th and 12th grades, which would mean they were about 16 or 17. I think the way we were able to do that without any public outcry was because it was voluntary on the part of the students and also because they did have to follow a curriculum that included some required academic subjects. It goes against the grain with most parents to have the authorities assign roles to their children.

Speaking for America, the problem is that there are increasingly fewer jobs that pay a living wage/salary for people without a university education.

I agree that everyone is not academic. We need to make sure that everyone gets an equal opportunity for higher education. Both fairness and good sense (for the future of society) require that academic women and minorities get the chance to reach their full potential.

But for non-academic women, minorities, and white males, there need to be jobs that they can support a family on. Even the low-paying jobs are more and more going to Latin America and Asia because it's more profitable for the companies and cheaper for consumers.

There can only be so many electricians and plumbers. How many other well-paid, skilled (but non-academic) careers are there?

More directly on topic:
A lot of students take a while to get started. Thanks to community colleges, many American academic students who didn't do well in high school can get back on track (others don't take full advantage). I think it would be difficult to have a German system of having students choose at a young age (is it 14? 16?) whether to go to a university or into a trade.

Come on friends there must be others out there with strong views on this!
Some people do mature later in life after gaining lifeskills. How about a system where at 14 youngsters could go into work placements a prolonged work experience package if you want to see it that way! They could also have a direct route back into higher education at a later age!
By the way I don't just mean car mechanics and wood work what about shop placements and childcare. Let us know what you think?
Love and Peace,
SHONA!!

referenth,
it´s not that the german kids choose entirely what they want to do, of course they can, but it is determined by various tests and their own developmental progress whether they ought to go to university or go through vocational training. but they have the possibility to get their abitur and then go to university if they´d like.

i have also considered this topic with the states. i went through high school with no idea of what i wanted to be and also through college with this feeling. maybe it´s my undecidednes or that i had no real guidance, but i feel i was no cut out entirely to go through university. however of course my career possibilites are greater but it doesn´t necessarily mean these are careers i´d rather have.
it seems to me that a lot of kids go through this as well. if everybody feels the pressure that they should go to college, then who will offer becoming garbagemen or take on the sort of jobs considered by the majority as menial?