Ah my at work blog, well this is pretty much related to work and I am not feeling very sociable this week after more illness and less sleep (despite the hours in bed) than one should have. So back to my old homeland.

From 2013, full-time paid employment would be against the law for under-18s unless combined with an approved training scheme.

Source: Telegraph | News | School leaving age goes up to 18

Lovely. I was the victim of such schemes, and it's interesting that Americans see the word scheme differently  with a more pejorative connotation than the does the UK. In this case the Americans are right.  I was the victim of  several schemes like this in the UK where for  the equivalent of $70 a week back in the late 80's and for 40 hours a week I was paid way way less than minimum wage.    For which the state run colleges gain mandatory attendees    and  the only reason I played along was that I lived far away from the college and the mileage allowance was double my weekly "pay"    Regardless I was just being warehoused and I ended up training people to use the word processors, started up a magazine about the scheme "Hard Times"  what the Dickens?  and soon got into trouble for not showing the positive aspects of  de facto unemployment ..  I had a choice though. 

Now it seems  You can marry, father kids but not have the right to financially provide for them , legally. Theory is they are trying to increase the employability and skillset of school leavers which brings up the   interesting point.

If state schools have failed to produce functionally literate and  numerate between the ages of five and sixteen what makes you think two more years  will help?