What opportunities are provided for young people who drop out of school to -re-engage in study and obtain upper secondary qualifications? Mass secondary schooling has brought about significant change in the kinds of learners entering upper secondary education. Once primarily focused on university entry, school systems have had to diversify their curriculum offerings to cater for the needs of a broader range of learners whose aspirations include vocational training and direct entry to the labour market, as well as university. These demands have exerted -considerable pressure on schools, on their curricula and on the upper secondary qualifications that they offer. School systems have had variable success in meeting these demands and in some countries large numbers of young people still drop out of school and need to rely on alternative pathways - mostly outside of the school system - to obtain upper secondary qualifications. These pathways can include vocational education courses and apprenticeships, equivalent credentials, as well as the more traditional academic upper secondary qualifications. Sites of provision include further education colleges, technical and vocational education institutions, community colleges, adult schools, and, in some countries, even secondary schools offering 'second chance' or 're-entry' programs for dropouts. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Author Keywords
Index Keywords
