Careers Advice in Schools

Fiona Bruce MP calls an All Party meeting in Parliament to review Careers advice in schools.

Fiona Bruce MP, Chair of the APPG on Skills, called a meeting in the House of Commons to review Careers Advice in Schools and Colleges.

Opening the meeting Fiona said:

“If a school student is hoping to go to University, the help, advice and support they receive is strong and the pathway they follow through UCAS is clear. This is not the case if they don’t want to go to University. This has to change. We are letting down half our young people in not providing clear advice of career opportunities and future training routes available to them. How can they make the best of their individual skills, talents and abilities if they are not given dedicated advice at such a critical stage in their lives? Missed opportunities at this point can be devastating.”

Ben Bayman, an Apprentice from Middlewich was invited by Fiona to speak at the meeting. Now aged 18 he is an award winning Barclays Apprenticeship Graduate, working in Northwich with aspirations of a fulfilling career in banking. However he left school not knowing what he would do and spent some time pursuing alternative career options including several months as a plumber’s assistant, until he heard, from a relative, of the Apprenticeship scheme which he is now very much enjoying.

Fiona Bruce MP commented:

“These decisions simply cannot be left to chance. The Government must take note of the outcome of the recent Ofsted Report into Careers Advice for up to 18 year olds which concluded:

“Three quarters of the schools visit for the survey were not implementing their duty to provide impartial careers advice effectively.””

Fiona continued:

“We must have more joined up thinking between the world of education and the world of work. Many employers, particularly small employers, want to offer jobs or apprenticeships to young people, and we need to make it much easier for them to connect up with young people locally seeking those same opportunities. More joined up leadership from Government on this is also required – the Departments for Education and Business need to work together on this issue. At present, they work too much in silos, as shown by the response from a Business Minister to a question recently I asked in the House of Commons:

 Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con): What steps are the Government taking to address skills gaps, create jobs and increase productivity by improving the information given in schools about vocational job opportunities, particularly local ones?

Matthew Hancock (Minister): We are making the skills system more rigorous and responsive to need, but schools have a duty to secure careers advice. I want that advice to be inspirational and impartial, and to include more mentoring, especially from people who have real jobs, so that we can help each child to reach their potential.

“Employers, especially small employers, are busy making their business work. They need help through a stream lined route by which they can promote their jobs, training and skills development opportunities to potential school leavers. Where there are good local voluntary arrangements between the business sector and senior schools and colleges, this can work well, but this cannot be left to chance – a corresponding UCAS style route needs to be put in place for young people who want to go down the vocational skills route. Their contribution to society is just as important as University graduates – indeed if we do not address this now we are going to be desperately short, as a country, of certain skills, such as electrical engineers. The Government must take note.”

Other speakers at the meeting were Judith Denyer, Career Advisor and Karen Adriaanse, Ofsted (author of the report referred to by Fiona Bruce MP)