EDUCATION for 14 to 19-year-olds is facing a huge shake-up in Bolton and some employers might say not before time.

Pupils will be able to drop traditional academic subjects in favour of taking work-related diplomas to prepare them for employment.

Teenagers will be able to study subjects such as construction, engineering and health and IT.

Employers, who have been involved from the start, welcome the new courses.

The aim is to encourage a mix of academic and vocational studying both at school and in the workplace.

But the new diplomas will not give pupils an easy time at school - they will still need to meet the needs of modern employers who are increasingly looking for multi-skilled workers who have good basic literacy, numeracy and IT skills.