Whether it be an apprenticeship, college, university or work, the thing young people need to choose their path in life are the facts about what their options are. Having one-to-one career advice whilst in schools is massively improving the start in life that we give to our young people.”
Every teenager will get guaranteed one-to-one advice to plot their pathway to work, Ed Miliband will announce today as he unveils Labour's better plan for education.
Ed Miliband will be joined by Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt, and Shadow Business Secretary, Chuka Umunna, for the launch of the party's education manifesto in London.
Having one-to-one career advice while in school massively improves the start in life we give to our young people.
Labour will set it out its plan to raise standards and increase opportunities for all young people – ensuring they get the dedicated advice they need for a successful transition from school to career.
Central to this is the reform and revitalisation of careers advice, which is currently said by the Confederation of British Industry to be on 'life support' after years of neglect and reductions in support under David Cameron and the Tories.
Four out of five schools are now offering inadequate careers advice, often just pointing pupils towards online information. Labour will replace this with a new system fit for the world of work in 21st century Britain.
The new proposals, to cost approximately £50 million and to be funded and supported through a partnership between universities, schools, colleges, and employers, form a key plank of Labour's education manifesto.
These proposals build on Labour’s plans for a gold-standard vocational route through education and into the workplace with a Technical Baccalaureate, compulsory English and maths to 18 and an apprenticeship for every school leaver who gets the grades.
Labour’s better plan will protect the entire education budget in real terms, including early years, schools, post-16 education and skills funding. In contrast, the Tories have a plan for reckless and extreme cuts and more of the same failed policies which will put our children’s education at risk.
Anne Snelgrove, Labour’s candidate for South Swindon, said: “Having a guaranteed career’s advisor will mean that Swindon’s young people are armed with all of the information to make the big decisions about their future.
Whether it be an apprenticeship, college, university or work, the thing young people need to choose their path in life are the facts about what their options are. Having one-to-one career advice whilst in schools is massively improving the start in life that we give to our young people.”
Labour believes a world-class education is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party, said: "The biggest challenge Britain faces is preparing ouryoung people today for the economy of tomorrow.
“Labour believes a world-class education is not a luxury, but a necessity.
"Young people must be equipped with the right skills, the right knowledge and the right advice they need to succeed.
“Failure to do this will not only cheat our young people of a decent future, it will cheat our country too.
“But that is what the Tories offer; a recipe for national decline. A backward-looking, narrow and centralising plan obsessed with structures.
"Labour has a better plan; equipping all our children with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed with excellence from the first steps a child takes to the day they prepare to stride into the adult world; a broad curriculum offering the best in both vocational and academic skills; a focus on the highest standards in every classroom; a pathway into work.”
Tristram Hunt, Shadow Education Secretary, said: "Britain succeeds when all of our young people are supported to reach their potential. Too many young people are having opportunities closed off to them – whether that be accessing our leading universities or high quality apprenticeships.
"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. Only Labour will give this support to all young people, that is currently the preserve of only a privileged few."
All young people should have the opportunity to succeed and progress to a skilled, secure career.
Chuka Umunna, Shadow Business Secretary, said: "All young people should have the opportunity to succeed and progress to a skilled, secure career.
"But under the Tories pathways to the workplace have been taken away and too many have been left without the support they need, stuck in low-paid, insecure work. And – as the CBI has highlighted – for Britain's future prosperity employers need a pipeline of skilled employees ready for the world of work.
"That's why Labour will ensure all young people can access face-to-face careers advice, with schools working in partnership with businesses, colleges and universities.”