Primary school pupils across England will benefit from a new careers programme that will encourage them to think about future jobs early, whilst nurturing aspirations and challenging stereotypes. Worcester MP Robin Walker and chair of parliament’s Education Select Committee welcomed the news as an important commitment to young people’s futures.
Evidence shows that children start to form ideas about their future as they start primary school. By linking lessons in an age-appropriate way to different careers, training and skills, the programme will bring learning alive and inspire pupils about the world of work. It will also provide opportunities for pupils to meet employers and role models from a range of industries, helping to raise aspirations and link their learning to future skills, jobs and careers.
From 1 January, young people will also benefit from strengthened careers advice through a change in the law that will see all year 8- 13 pupils have at least six opportunities to meet a range of providers of technical education. By hearing directly from training providers, pupils will get to understand the full range of opportunities available to them, including apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, not just a traditional academic route.
This builds on the requirement that every secondary school should offer their pupils at least one experience of a workplace by age 16 and a further work experience by age 18, giving them the opportunity to get a sense of the skills that are valued in the workplace to forge a great career.
The primary school scheme will be rolled out across 55 disadvantaged areas of the country where school outcomes are the weakest and have been for some time and delivers on a commitment in the Schools White Paper. It will support more than 600,000 pupils in over 2,200 primary schools, giving them the kick start they need to boost their ambitions, and is backed by £2.6 million.
Worcester MP Robin Walker said:
‘This change is an important commitment to the future of young people across England. As Minister for School Standards I oversaw the Education White Paper which set out improving careers guidance as an aspiration. More does need to be done on careers from primary school age and I am glad that here in Worcester we have a good story to tell on this.
‘I recently chaired a session of the Education Select Committee which looked specifically at careers education, information, advice and guidance. Nick Chambers is Chief Executive of Education and Employers, a charity set up to widen access to careers guidance for young people, and he specifically highlighted the example of Hollymount School who have engaged with the Primary Futures programme which works with teachers and volunteers to help bring real-world experiences to curriculum and careers learning through a range of interactive activities both in-person and virtually. I’ve been proud to take part in careers events at Cranham Primary and Perry Wood Primary Academy and I know that Worcestershire’s careers hub is one of the top performers in the country.”
‘I look forward to the government’s programme expanding from these pilots and being rolled out in Worcester in the future. I the meantime I will continue to engage with schools to ensure that young people in my constituency have access to the information that will inspire them onto a path towards a successful and rewarding career.’
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said:
‘To deliver the future workforce that this country needs, it is essential that careers advice and work experience helps young people from all backgrounds to climb the ladder of opportunity.
‘The changes we are making to boost our careers programme will raise ambitions from an early age for thousands of children in primary schools across the country, while providing opportunities to unlock talent, think about skills, engage with employers and discover different workplaces.
‘The new primary careers programme will be coordinated by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), working with Teach First who will provide training and support primary school teachers in disadvantaged areas to deliver the scheme to their pupils.’