1 million of the under 25s don't have a single GCSE and 84,000 have but one.
PN,
This didn't stop tens of thousands entering the RAF through the Boy Entrants scheme.
The RAF realised that not having a good education did not mean that you were stupid. The RAF were leaders in using IQ tests and aptitude tests to stream recruits into suitable trades.
I left school in 1952 and became a B/E at 15 years and two months.
After my 13 years RAF service, I had a very good and rewarding career in the computer industry, where most of my peers were university educated. I held my own and succeeded. In the main because of the RAF's training and the confidence in my abilities that the RAF had nurtured.