during the visit the oecd team was told that literacy and numeracy problems were common among those undertaking vet courses this means that some people may start their training despite literacy and numeracy problems and as they are not identified for targeted support they may not be able to complete their course some employers reported to the review team that certain apprentices are unable to complete the final more sophisticated and academic phases of their training because of their weak literacy or numeracy skills and it is very difficult to help apprentices at such a late stage