Footballers' wives and girlfriends Louise White, Danielle Lloyd, Leilani Dowding and Laura Wallis get ready for their appearance on Test the Nation. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty
The latest ploy by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to lure youngsters into staying on in education - thereby justifying its own existence - is to say that 'Wags' have qualifications, as well as loaded other halves.
Wags - the term recently coined to describe the wives and girlfriends of well-paid sportsmen - have the "dreams and aspirations" that young people should have, the LSC says, but they also have qualifications.
According to the LSC, although Wags may have profiles that are sometimes seen negatively, they are, on the whole, successful in their chosen careers and have the minimum set of qualifications to fall back on.
Of the England football team's most high-profile Wags "at least nine in 12 are known to have at least the minimum level of qualifications needed to get on in life (five good GCSEs or the vocational equivalent, such as a level 2 diploma in animal care, fashion retail or aerobic instruction)", the LSC says.
So rather than idealising Wags for their glamorous lifestyles, it wants young people to follow their lead by gaining the minimum set of qualifications before leaving learning, whatever they aspire to be.
And while the LSC concedes that "ultimate Wag" Victoria Beckham has succeeded despite only having a handful of GCSEs, it warns that the odds of following in her footsteps are incredibly "thin" (was the pun intended?).
It's a bizarre tactic on the LSC's part. But it's possibly good advice for future Wags to have a GCSE or two - even if it's just so they can work out what they've spent in a day's shopping spree.
