§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest estimate of the number of young people in Bedfordshire leaving school at the end of the present summer term seeking employment; and what proportion of them have no formal qualifications.
§ Miss Joan LestorMy Department's statistics of school leavers and their qualifications are based on a statistical sample inquiry which, while providing satisfactory estimates for England and Wales as a whole, does not enable reliable estimates to be made for individual local education authorities such as Bedfordshire.
§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest estimate of the number of young people, leaving school in England and Wales at the end of the present summer 175W term, seeking employment; and what proportion of them have no formal qualification.
§ Miss Joan LestorIt is estimated that, excluding special schools, about 450,000 pupils seeking employment left school during or at the end of the summer term and that approximately 15 per cent. had no CSE or GCE qualifications.