Girls are outperforming boys significantly in the Leaving Certificate, according to a study of those taking the 1997 examination.
Eighty-seven per cent of girls sat the Leaving Certificate in that year, compared with 75 per cent of boys, according to figures in the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment study.
In the 1994 Junior Certificate, over 69 per cent of those who failed to achieve the basic pass level of five Ds were boys. In the 1997 Leaving Certificate, taken by the same age-group, nearly 60 per cent of those who failed to achieve the equivalent level of five D3s were boys.
In a statement yesterday the employers' body IBEC warned that almost two-thirds of unqualified school-leavers are now young men, who have traditionally gone into low-skilled manual work.
IBEC's assistant director for social policy, Mr Padraig O'Grady, warned that "the continuing shift from industry to services will greatly reduce opportunities for these individuals."
IBEC expressed concern that 13,000 students drop out of school every year (over 19 per cent of 17year-olds), while a further 6,000 fail to achieve the basic pass level of five D grades in the Leaving Certificate. "This haemorrhage from the education system is unsustainable in a growing economy," said Mr O'Grady.
IBEC also called on the Government to ensure that all second-level schools offer the more practical, workplace-orientated Leaving Certificate Applied course as soon as possible, and at the latest within five years.
"In spite of the fact that employers have expressed a great deal of optimism about this programme, only 2,500 students will complete the course in this academic year. The small take-up is partly due to the fact that less than a third of schools have made it available to students," said Mr O'Grady.
Only 205 out of 762 second-level schools currently offer the Leaving Certificate Applied.
"With so many students opting out of the education system it is difficult to understand why more schools are not encouraging students to pursue this alternative Leaving Certificate," he continued.
More flexible educational options were needed "if we are to develop the real human resource capital of our nation."