Previous research and anecdotal evidence has suggested that offering a broader curriculum, and in particular, vocational qualifications, may be a way to motivate young people who have become disengaged from education and improve their subsequent attainment. However, this hypothesis has not been systematically evaluated.
The analyses summarised here explore the educational outcomes of disengaged young people from a nationally representative cohort who reported taking vocational courses in Year 10 compared to similarly disengaged young people who did not.
The study explored outcomes across a range of different subgroups of young people from the Longitudinal Study for Young People (LSYPE), defined using different characteristics of being disengaged in Year 9.
This report was written through the Centre for the Analysis of Youth Transitions (CAYT). A repository of CAYT impact studies is hosted by Mentor-Adepis (Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service).
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