Plans to force schools to give equal weight to vocational and academic routes when providing careers advice have been put on ice, the Department for Education has confirmed.

Last January, then education secretary Nicky Morgan announced proposals for legislation designed to end the “second-class perception of technical and professional education”.

At the time, the DfE said this would result in schools being legally required to collaborate with colleges and other training providers to ensure that young people were aware of all available options - a move welcomed by FE bodies.

But while the government said it would “bring in the legislation at the earliest opportunity”, no further announcements have been made since the ministerial reshuffle in July.

Good careers advice needs to become the norm

After being pressed by TES, a DfE spokesman said that the department was still “exploring options” on how to ensure young people were made “aware of all the routes to higher skills and into the workplace”, but refused to confirm whether new legislation would still be introduced.

Senior leaders in the FE sector called on the government to enact the proposals unveiled by Ms Morgan almost a year ago. David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said that careers advice and education was essential to support young people.

“The announcement last year that new legislation would be introduced to ensure providers could access young people in schools was a positive step forward in the long battle around careers advice,” he added. “This now needs to become a reality, and AoC will be working with ministers to ensure this happens. Good careers advice needs to become the norm if this country is going to succeed across all areas of its economy.”

‘Schools must open their doors’

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), said: “One way or the other, we should be requiring schools to open their doors to employers and providers who can offer apprenticeships and traineeships.

“Local networks of providers have the strongest relationship with employers and existing apprentices, and could coordinate activity with schools. AELP believes there should be one, overarching government system to support people of all ages.”

Last January, when the proposed legislation was announced, the government said it stemmed from concerns among ministers about the state of careers advice, with some schools unwilling to recommend apprenticeships and other technical and professional routes to any but the lowest-achieving pupils.

David Byrne, principal of Barnet and Southgate College, said that while the original concept of legislation was seen by some as a “sledgehammer to crack a nut”, almost a year had passed with no discernible action.

Countless learners have received little or no impartial guidance

“I am concerned that during this time, countless learners have received little or no impartial guidance on alternative pathways,” he added. “If we are to make progress with apprenticeships and other employer-led initiatives, we have a duty to provide the best advice at the earliest opportunity.”

All too often, young people were presented with a one-size-fits-all approach to progression in education, according to Kirstie Donnelly, managing director of awarding body City & Guilds.

“University is still presented as the ultimate destination for most and the options outside of A levels are rarely discussed,” she said. “When you consider recent reports that 25 per cent of young people who start sixth-form college at 16 are dropping out after the first year, it’s clear that more needs to be done to make young people aware of all the routes through to employment.”