Careers Service

Oral Answers to Questions — Education – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 11 July 2011.

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Photo of Fiona O'Donnell Fiona O'Donnell Labour, East Lothian 2:30, 11 July 2011

When he plans to issue his transition plan for the careers service.

Photo of Tim Loughton Tim Loughton The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

The Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning—who is here with us in spirit, if not in body today—committed during an Education Bill debate to hold a summit for interested parties to focus on issues of transition to the new arrangements for young people’s careers guidance. That summit is to take place this Friday. Following the event, we will set out key milestones for the transition period up to September 2012 to support local authorities’ transition planning. We will also look to share examples of the models being developed at the local level, and the material will be made available on the Local Government Association’s communities of practice website.

Photo of Fiona O'Donnell Fiona O'Donnell Labour, East Lothian

We know that this Government are fond of pauses, but it is eight months since the Minister announced the end of Connexions and the start of the new all-age career service. In the meantime, parents and practitioners have been left with no help to support young people in assessing their options or planning for their futures, so will Casper the Ghost Minister take this opportunity to provide detailed guidance, eight months after it was promised, on how the transitional arrangements and the new service will work?

Photo of Tim Loughton Tim Loughton The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

I am impressed by the hon. Lady’s affection for Connexions, which does not exist in Scotland anyway. She will have just four more days to wait until after the summit that was promised and discussed in Committee, when my hon. Friend the Minister will lay out our plans in detail, with plenty of time for the transitions to come into effect.

Photo of Charlotte Leslie Charlotte Leslie Conservative, Bristol North West

Will the Minister update us on the Government’s plans to introduce performance measures that highlight the progress in attainment not only of those on the five A*-to-C boundary, but of those not achieving that level?

Photo of Tim Loughton Tim Loughton The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

I am not entirely sure of the connection with the transition plans for careers services.

Photo of Kevin Brennan Kevin Brennan Shadow Minister (Education)

There is no “connexion”.

Photo of Tim Loughton Tim Loughton The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

There is an odd connection, as the hon. Gentleman says. Last week my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out the plans for raising the threshold, which is surely a much more realistic and aspirational target than the rather poor compromise that we have had up to now.

Photo of Iain Wright Iain Wright Shadow Minister (Education)

I am not surprised that the Minister in charge of the careers service does not want to show his face in this place—it has not done his own career any good—but I am pleased that our man in Havana is with us today. This whole episode has been handled absolutely shambolically, but will the Minister now at least confirm, even at this late stage, that despite the lack of a transition plan eight months on from the announcement, face-to-face quality advice and guidance from a careers professional will be provided to all children, and that no one will be left out?

Photo of Tim Loughton Tim Loughton The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

As a question, that was close, but no cigar. However, just last week the hon. Gentleman was referring to my hon. Friend the Minister as his friend, and he will appreciate more than many the immense amount of work that he has put in to ensure that the arrangements are absolutely right. Let us remember that it was the hon. Gentleman’s former friend, the right hon. Alan Milburn, who panned the former Connexions service as being patchy and inefficient. We want to ensure that we do not make those sorts of mistakes and that we get it right for our many young people in future.