Labour pledges face-to-face careers guidance for every student

9th April 2015, 1:01am

Every secondary school and college student would be given face-to-face careers guidance by a trained adviser under a Labour government.

Labour leader Ed Miliband is expected to announce later today that should his party form the next government every pupil from age 11 will be given structured careers guidance in a bid to offer students a “clearer pathway” to work, training or university.

Under the proposals, schools will be held to account on the quality of the careers advice and programmes they offer.

According to the party, four out of five schools are now deemed to offer inadequate careers guidance, but Labour has promised to overhaul the system to provide young people with better options for later life.

Mr Miliband said the new scheme, which will cost £50m, will provide young people with knowledge needed to succeed in the wider world.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt added: “David Cameron has failed young people. Labour has a better plan, one that will unleash the potential of all young people.

“So if you are a young person, whether you want to pursue gold standard vocational education or a high class academic pathway into work, Labour will make sure that you have the face-to-face guidance early on, so that doors are not closed off to you.”

Labour has also pledged to reverse the coalition’s decision to abolish compulsory work experience for all 14-16-year-olds.

Responding to Labour’s careers advice announcement, education secretary Nicky Morgan said: “Labour inflicted damage on the career prospects of young people, with hollow vocational qualifications that didn’t lead to a job, a 40 per cent rise in youth unemployment and a career service that young people were unhappy with.”

The full list of of Labour’s education promises:

Protect schools spending in real terms;
Introduce directors of school standards to support local schools to improve and respond to the concerns of parents;
Deliver smaller class sizes for five, six and seven year-olds, paid for by ending the Free Schools programme;
Require private schools to partner with state schools, as a condition of receiving Business Rates Relief;
Protect spending on the early years in real terms;
Restore the role of Sure Start as family hubs in the community;
Extend free childcare from 15 to 25 hours for working parents of three and four year olds, paid for by an increase in the bank levy;
Give parents a legal guarantee of access to childcare from 8am to 6pm through their local primary school;
Ensure all teachers become qualified;
Raise standards through new Master Teachers;
Require all teachers to build their skills throughout their careers, as a condition of remaining in the classroom;
Improve school discipline by ensuring teachers are trained to control a class;
Support and improve school leadership with a new Leadership Institute and head teacher qualifications and training;
Deliver a new Technical Baccalaureate for 16 to 18 year olds;
Ensure all young people study English and maths to 18;
Raise standards in FE, with new Institutes of Technical Education;
Guarantee all young people face to face careers guidance;
Give every young person that gets the grades has the right to a high quality apprenticeship;
Introduce new Technical Degrees delivered by universities and employers;
Update and strengthen the Citizenship curriculum;
Introduce compulsory work experience for 14 to 16 year-olds;
Give teachers better training in mental health awareness;
Ensure all schools deliver age-appropriate sex and relationships education.