Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="pedr" data-source="post: 6642027" data-attributes="member: 33464">Yes I wasn't precise enough - college has lots of meanings as a rather generic word for &quot;educational institution&quot; and in general usage in England probably refers most often to a Further Education college which provides education for 16-18 year olds (US grades 11 &amp; 12, English years 12 &amp; 13) and training and education courses as part of the wonderful variety of UK qualification and training frameworks. Sometimes compared with US Community Colleges, but I'm sure there are significant differences. The biggest, of course, is that until relatively recently formal qualifications at 16 were highly regarded as preparation for work or further study, with CSEs providing a basis for training in various trades or simple clerical work and O-Levels having a real meaning (in the economy of the mid-20th Century, at least). Leaving school at 16 with significant qualifications was a real possibility. Only certain schools offered education to 16-18 year olds and as the economy shifted to needing far more workers with more advanced qualifications, &quot;sixth form colleges&quot; developed. What's the school leaving age in the US? (Perhaps it varies from state to state?) It's only in the last few years that 16-18 year olds are expected to be receiving some kind of formal education and training - and for many that will be in apprenticeships or other work-based learning. (Most of this not really responding to Morrus, though the direct answer is Yes, A-Levels still exist and are the primary post-16 qualification for those planning to go to university. There are lots of alternative or complementary qualifications, though, with different focuses.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pedr, post: 6642027, member: 33464"] Yes I wasn't precise enough - college has lots of meanings as a rather generic word for "educational institution" and in general usage in England probably refers most often to a Further Education college which provides education for 16-18 year olds (US grades 11 & 12, English years 12 & 13) and training and education courses as part of the wonderful variety of UK qualification and training frameworks. Sometimes compared with US Community Colleges, but I'm sure there are significant differences. The biggest, of course, is that until relatively recently formal qualifications at 16 were highly regarded as preparation for work or further study, with CSEs providing a basis for training in various trades or simple clerical work and O-Levels having a real meaning (in the economy of the mid-20th Century, at least). Leaving school at 16 with significant qualifications was a real possibility. Only certain schools offered education to 16-18 year olds and as the economy shifted to needing far more workers with more advanced qualifications, "sixth form colleges" developed. What's the school leaving age in the US? (Perhaps it varies from state to state?) It's only in the last few years that 16-18 year olds are expected to be receiving some kind of formal education and training - and for many that will be in apprenticeships or other work-based learning. (Most of this not really responding to Morrus, though the direct answer is Yes, A-Levels still exist and are the primary post-16 qualification for those planning to go to university. There are lots of alternative or complementary qualifications, though, with different focuses.) [/QUOTE]

Verification