Rochdale MP, Tony Lloyd is backing Labour’s plan to deliver professional careers guidance in schools as part of the Party’s plan to ensure young people leave education ready for work and ready for life, during National Careers Week.

Tony said, “Careers guidance is essential to ensuring that young people are aware of the opportunities that are open to them and setting them on the path to success.

“Yet Conservatives MPs voted against Labour’s plans to reintroduce this essential support for young people after abolishing the former careers service.

“Labour is committed to ensuring that every child receives professional careers guidance, coupled with two weeks worth of work experience while at school, as part of our plans to ensure young people leave education ready for work and ready for life.” 

Labour has committed to ensuring every young person gets professional information, advice and guidance on their future study and career options alongside two weeks worth of work experience while at secondary schools, helping students to make informed choices about their future. 

The government cut back careers advice in 2011, despite headteachers warning it could leave two million young people with the support they need. Pre-pandemic data showed that this had left two thirds of young people without professional careers advice and almost half reporting that they felt unprepared for the future. 

Last month, the Conservatives’ voted against giving young people careers advice as part of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, blocking plans to ensure young people have the skills and support they need to succeed.

Alongside recruiting over a thousand new careers advisors for schools, Labour’s plan to ensure every young person leaves education ready for work and for life would embed digital and life skills across the curriculum and ensure all young people have access to laptops and technology ensuring they have the skills they need to succeed and prosper. 

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Notes to editors:-

• Labour pushed for a vote on an amendment to the Skills Bill on Monday (21 February) to require that every pupil receives face to face careers guidance and two weeks’ worth of compulsory work experience.

• Keir Starmer set out Labour’s Plan to ensure every young person leaves education ready for work and ready for life at Conference 2021, including:
  • Work experience: Introduce two weeks’ worth of compulsory work experience, to connect young people with local employers and build the skills needed for work.
  • Careers advice: Give every child access to quality careers advice in their school by giving schools access to a professional careers advisor one day a week.
    • (https://labour.org.uk/press/labour-would-make-sure-every-child-leaves-school-job-ready-and-life-ready/)

• Two million to lose out on careers advice, heads warn (BBC)

• Nearly a quarter of young people do not know where to go for careers advice (CBI)

• Just a third (32%) of young people report receiving advice from a trained careers advisor. Young people eligible for free school meals, and with SEND are more likely than their peers to report receiving no careers advice or guidance. (Gov.uk)