AT ABOUT the same time Ali was knocking out Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle, Robbie Williams was taking his first breath and West Germany were winning their home World Cup, three-quarters of 16-year-olds in Guernsey had already left school, presumably to get a job.

Less than four decades later, those figures have been reversed and just one quarter of youngsters have emerged into the harsh daylight of ‘the real world’ by their 17th birthday.

It is a remarkable turnaround and one in the eye for those who would argue that everything has got progressively worse in society since the war.

Teachers, parents, employers and politicians can take great credit in persuading youngsters that a decent education will stand them in good stead through life.

As a result, young islanders have broken into trades and professions that would have hitherto been closed to them. With hard work and a little bit of luck, any school pupil in Guernsey can aspire to a fulfilling career.

And much of the island’s subsequent success can no doubt be attributed to the general high level of education and training in the island. With the sharp decline in the horticultural industry, the island needed to make the most of the one resource left that was capable of bringing in the cash: brainpower.

The resulting astonishing growth of the finance industry has been an economic blessing, albeit one that comes with strings attached.

It is therefore interesting to see that the same set of statistics from the Careers Service shows that school leavers have been finding it harder to break into finance. No longer are banks snapping up every available school-leaver, preferring applicants with experience and qualifications.

That will no doubt frustrate a number of youngsters desperate to become a pupil in the school of life. But it should be good news in the long term as the overall quality, education, experience and qualifications of new recruits rises.

The message is clear: a job in finance is not yours by right, you have to study hard to get it.

And in the long-term, that can be no bad thing.