The House of Commons Education Committee have released their response to the January 2022 Education Select Committee’s inquiry into Careers Education and Guidance. This report provided a response for each of the Committee’s recommendations.
It is good to see the Government’s response to the Education Select Committee Inquiry. We have seen in this year’s Youth Voice Census that young people are experiencing more career encounters in schools, and this is showing up in the fact that the gaps in information and aspiration between apprenticeship and university are closing.
It was also good to see the partnership between Youth Employment UK and the Careers and Enterprise Company be recognised. We were delighted to be able to utilise our resources and expertise to broaden the careers offer to young people who are homeschooled.
However, it is important to recognise that young people do not get equal access to the experiences on offer. We have seen the levels of work experience on offer go down this year to very worrying levels and that there is a significant number of young people who lack the confidence in CV writing or assessment centres and so do not feel they have the tools to make their next steps into quality work.
We look forward to continuing our work with the Department for Education and partners such as the CEC to continue building a quality system that meets all young people’s needs.
Key Findings
- The government announced that schools in England are due to receive almost £60b for 2024-25, ensuring every child gets a world-class education. The government’s ambition is that 90% of pupils in year 10 will be studying the EBac by 2025.
- The government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system that is employer-focused – backed by £3,8b.
- There are increasing opportunities for developing higher technical skills (T-levels, skills bootcamps..). As of September 2023, there are 106 HTQ’s and a further 66 will be available from 2024.
- The government is establishing 38 employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP), using the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to design qualifications in partnership with employers.
Careers Vision: Progress and Next Phase of Reforms
- The government agrees that the CEC should be the single national body responsible for overseeing and coordinating the CEIAG provision across England.
- The government has commissioned two important pieces of work that will inform the next phase of reforms to the careers system: ‘Ofsted’s thematic review of careers guidance: terms of reference’, and ‘Careers guidance system: letters from Sir John Holman and Robert Halfon’.
