Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy
Select Committee Announcement
(Formal Committee name: Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy)
8 December 2015 – For Immediate Release
careers advice inquiry launched by new parliamentary committee on education, skills & the economy
A new Committee, the Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy, formed by members of the Education Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, has today launched an inquiry looking at careers advice, information and guidance. This inquiry is set to look at issues such as the quality of current careers advice, the effectiveness of careers advice in supporting people into apprenticeships, and how careers advice in schools and college can help match skills with the needs of the jobs market.
The Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy will also be holding a separate evidence session in the New Year with Skills Minister, Nick Boles, where he will quizzed about his role and the effectiveness of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education in working together to increase productivity and economic performance.
Neil Carmichael MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee, said: “Good quality careers advice is exceptionally important but current provision often seems patchy and complex, falling short in providing young people with comprehensive advice about the range of career opportunities available. While routes to university may be well mapped out, alternatives such as apprenticeships and vocational qualifications are largely ignored. As part of this inquiry, we look forward to examining the Government’s forthcoming careers strategy and to make recommendations across the education and skills sectors to help improve the careers advice services which young people receive”.
Iain Wright MP, Chair of the Business Innovation and Skills Select Committee, said: “Ensuring young people have access to good quality careers information, advice and guidance is crucial to social mobility. Giving young people a clearer understanding of where they could be going and how to get there can have a massive impact on their life chances as well as bringing benefits to our economy. As a new Committee, we are clear that education and skills policy has a crucial role to play in boosting our nation’s economy and that there should be a closer alignment between the needs of business and the skills our education system provides our young people. Whitehall has too much of a silo-mentality, with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education doing little to demonstrate joined-up thinking. We want to show Government that working across policy areas and across parties is possible and, as a Committee, we want to help ensure young people have the skills they need to achieve fulfilling careers and boost the country’s productivity.”
The new Committee on Education, Skills, and the Economy is a Parliamentary innovation, bringing together Members from the Education Committee and Business, Innovation and Skills Committee to examine skills and education issues, and their impact on the economy, in a joined-up way.
Careers Advice inquiry – terms of reference
The inquiry will focus in particular on developments since the publication of the Education Committee report Careers guidance for young people: The impact of the new duty on schools, in 2013.
The Committee welcomes submissions addressing the following points:
- The quality and impartiality of current provision;
- How careers advice in schools and colleges can help to match skills with labour market needs;
- The role of the new Careers and Enterprise Company and its relationship with other bodies such as the National Careers Service;
- The balance between national and local approaches to careers advice;
- Careers advice and apprenticeships;
- The potential for employers to play a greater role in careers advice.
The deadline for written evidence is noon on Wednesday 20 January 2016.
How to respond
As part of a scheme to encourage paperless working and maximise efficiency, the Committee uses a web portal for online submissions of written evidence. Written submissions for this inquiry should be sent via the Committee website here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-skills-and-economy/inquiries/parliament-2015/careers-advice-15-16/
Submissions should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference. As a guideline submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee. Please bear in mind that Committees are not able to investigate individual cases.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or by making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence. Please proof-read your submission before sending it; Committee staff cannot undertake to correct typos or typesetting errors before publication.
For data protection purposes, individuals wishing to submit written evidence are asked for their contact details. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
The Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy is formed from sub-Committees of the Education and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committees. It comprises fourteen members: seven from the Education Committee and seven from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee. It held its first meeting on Monday 7 December 2015.
Committee Membership is as follows:
Chairs: Mr Neil Carmichael (Con, Stroud); Mr Iain Wright MP (Lab, Hartlepool)
Ian Austin (Lab, Dudley North)
Paul Blomfield (Lab, Sheffield Central)
Michelle Donelan (Con, Chippenham)
Suella Fernandes (Con, Fareham)
Lucy Frazer (Con, South East Cambridgeshire)
Kate Hollern (Lab, Blackburn)
Ian Mearns (Lab, Gateshead)
Amanda Milling (Con, Cannock Chase)
Amanda Solloway (Con, Derby North)
Michelle Thomson (Ind, Edinburgh West)
Craig Tracey (Con, North Warwickshire)
Chris White (Con, Warwick and Leamington)
Media Information: Gary Calder calderg@parliament.uk 020 7219 7556 / 07917 488622
Committee Website: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-skills-and-economy/
Specific Committee Information: Jonathan Arkless arklessj@parliament.uk 020 7219 1376, Simon Armitage armitages@parliament.uk 020 7219 1333
Watch committees and parliamentary debates online: www.parliamentlive.tv
Publications / Reports / Reference Material: Copies of all select committee reports are available from the Parliamentary Bookshop (12 Bridge St, Westminster, 020 7219 3890) or the Stationery Office (0845 7023474). Committee reports, press releases, evidence transcripts, Bills; research papers, a directory of MPs, plus Hansard (from 8am daily) and much more, can be found on www.parliament.uk
