Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The survey analyses the first employment of 16 year-old school leavers in England and Wales (with follow-up surveys of 17 and 18 year-olds), for 1978, 1979, 1980 and (without follow-up) 1983.

Main Topics:

Variables Sex, region, including (1968 SIC), occupation (CODOT, 3 digits) and educational qualifications. Length of training offered is recorded and 'apprentices' are identified. Off-the-job training is recorded.

Approximately 10% of pupils in maintained schools, i.e. those with birthdates falling on 5th, 15th and 25th of any month and reaching minimum school-leaving age (16 years) in the 1977-1979, 1979-1980 and the 1982-1983 academic years were selected. Of these, those entering first employment by the end of the calendar years 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1983 were included for the analysis of 16 year olds, and by the end of the following year or year after that for the analysis of 17 or 18 year olds. Follow-up surveys were not carried out for the 1983 cohort. First employment in YTS was excluded in 1983

Postal survey

Compilation or synthesis of existing material

Careers offices completed data for most cases from their own administrative records. Where these were insufficient a separate questionnaire was sent by post to the young person concerned and the data transcribed by the careers office on its return.