British children complete their compulsory education at the age of 16,and are then free to either leave school to seek work,or continue their education for an additional two years in their secondary school in a system known as the sixth form. The sixth form prepares children for going onto higher education at colleges and universities. A university education in Great Britain is not seen as a requirement for unspecialized occupations,so the percentage of school leavers who move on to higher education at this level is a meager 36%. For this reason,the number of children who attend sixth form is drastically reduced,and this gives the teachers the opportunity to concentrate on each individual student and provide high levels of education. Additionally,sixth form students may choose the subjects they wish to study to intensify their knowledge,with some selecting as few as two subjects,although the average is three.
This,of course,means that students must decide whether to follow a apecialized career or a non−specialized career very early in life. To enable them to make this decision,all fifth year students at secondary school are provided with a vocational education course as part of their curriculum. During this course,the students are given a wide range of information on available careers in the from of pamphlets and lectures by experts to help them determine their own futures.