ABSTRACT
This chapter assess the relative importance of the demographic, occupational, residential, geographical, educational and vocational factors that were of possible significance in ensuring the success or failure of SAE apprentices in the system of vocational training. It begins with a chronological investigation of the number of recruits failing to qualify as Chartered Accountants (CAs) and become members of the SAE. The institution of the GEB examinations in 1893 and a more exacting examination procedure, briefly acted to further reduce the SAE failure rate in that it also increased the value of a CA qualification as a mark of professional knowledge and distinction, ensuring that apprentices were even less inclined to contemplate not becoming members of the Society. If the failure rate of apprentices from each social status group is examined according to the number of children and number of sons in the family, the fluctuations seem to be random.
