The House Opinion Article | What is the Education System for?

4 min read1 hr

I believe this is not down to a lack of skill or commitment amongst our dedicated teachers across the country, but due to a curriculum and assessment regime that focuses too much on exams and not enough on empowering a love of learning, and the value of practical and ‘soft’ skills.

You don’t need to take my word for it- teachers agree. 73 per cent believe that the curriculum does not teach the soft skills needed for employment.

Previous curriculum reforms have led to a fixation on learning by rote and exams and have not put enough emphasis on the skills young people need to thrive- like leadership, teamwork, and resilience. 

 Now is the time to pause and create a modern approach to education to fit the modern world.

High quality careers education and work experience will be key to this. It should be deeply imbedded into the curriculum.  Done well, it can break down barriers to opportunity, help tackle NEET, and drive economic growth.

The evidence supports this. Young people in schools and colleges with the highest-quality careers provision are 8 per cent less likely to become NEET. That effect is magnified in the most disadvantaged schools, where the highest-quality careers provision is associated with a 20% reduction in NEET rates.

Young people agree that current careers provision is not sufficient. A recent longitudinal study has highlighted that young people do not feel they are getting adequate careers advice, particularly if they want to pursue non-university routes into work.

Many schools see work experience and careers guidance as additional to, rather than, core responsibilities and too often work experience becomes ‘join your parents at work week’. To maximise the value of work experience, young people must get an opportunity to see environments that truly open new horizons.

The Labour government have talked a good game about the importance of skills – to people, to employers, and to what we want to achieve as a country – and I am proud to have supported some welcome initiatives that have already been introduced.

As Alan Milburn reviews the causes of our NEET numbers, I urge him to consider the role of careers education in tackling youth unemployment.

This could be through practical steps such as making it mandatory for schools to work more closely with colleges or other experts to standardise careers education in the school/college transition. Another practical action the Government could take is the creation of an online platform for young people which clearly sets out who to contact for careers advice, and keeps a virtual record of what they have done so far.

I would also like to see the Gatsby Benchmarks, which are an evidence-based framework that defines good careers guidance, better incorporated into the curriculum, particularly now they are on a statutory footing and a clear focus on soft skills in the new V-levels.

Employers need to have confidence that they can take on young people straight from school. This is particularly vital for increasing opportunities for apprenticeships.

Recent evidence suggests that one of the barriers for employers to take on apprentices is a skills shortage amongst young people. This is particularly stark amongst tradespeople, with 71 per cent highlighting that a skills shortage is stopping them from expanding.

The APPG for Apprenticeships, which I chair, will be looking into this matter further, through an inquiry that will consider if current skills policy is helping to deliver for the industrial strategy. 

There is both a moral and economic imperative to act. We cannot write off so many of our young people before they even have a chance to start their careers. And in the long-term, failing to tackle youth unemployment will cost millions through missed tax revenue.

The current system has led to a crisis of NEET young people. There is an opportunity to change the system to correct this – now is the time to act.