ABSTRACT
In the Western European tradition, post-war secondary schools in the United Kingdom developed along selective lines, with academic 'grammar' schools for what were deemed to be the academically able, and 'modern' schools for the majority of youngsters. In 1981, for example, only 19 per cent of 18-year-olds in the United Kingdom were in full-time education and training, compared with about 60 per cent in Japan and the United States. In addition, some employers, especially among the larger companies, have been reluctant to take on Job Training Scheme trainees and the quality of training provided by the smaller companies has left something to be desired. The increasing recognition, both by the government and by employers, of the importance of training is a large step in the right direction; indeed, there has even been heady talk that 'the training revolution' in the United Kingdom has finally taken hold.
