Response to government announcement on new technical education pathways

In response to the Government's announcement on technical and vocational education, Gina Cicerone, CEO of the Fair Education Alliance, said: 

“The Prime Minister’s early focus on youth unemployment is encouraging. A million young people out of work and education, many of whom come from the lowest-income backgrounds, demands urgent attention. A lack of resources as a child shouldn’t mean a lack of viable career options. Something fundamental needs to shift. 

“Aligning what children learn in schools with realistic career options – and starting technical and vocational education earlier – is a key part of the solution. And we are delighted that this is rooted in collaboration: we need far closer links between schools, employers, local authorities, mayoral strategic authorities and training providers to set young people up for success. However, as we know through our convening work with mayors, this requires additional resource to ensure a coherent, joined-up approach and we hope that the government prioritises investment in this.  

“To make the local-level collaboration a success, there also need to be significant shifts at a national level, such as appropriate investment in the education workforce and for pupils from low-income backgrounds. This needs to be paired with approaches that address the root causes of youth unemployment such as poor mental health, inadequate SEND support and regional opportunity gaps. And critically, all localised careers pathways must be paired with national options, giving young people choice and agency to fulfill their aspirations.  

“Our membership has the breadth and depth of expertise to help build a connected technical and vocational education system for children and young people, whatever their background or postcode. We’d welcome the opportunity to work with the Government on the plan to make this happen.”