Over-25s plump for vocational study

* Most students taking vocational courses in Scotland's 47 further education colleges are 25 and over, according to figures from the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The number of enrolments for 1998-99 rose by 2 per cent on the previous year to 421,556, with 86 per cent of students on further or higher education courses.

Just under 20 per cent of the vocational students studied full time. Women account for 55 per cent of vocational enrolments, while 56 per cent are 25 and over.