Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce a mid-life career review for people over 50 years old to help them update their skills and re-train where appropriate.

There are currently no plans to introduce a formal mid-life career review.

However, the National Careers Service helps individuals make informed choices about their career options by providing free and impartial advice on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. All adults aged 19 years and over (or 18 and over if the individual is in custody or out of work and on benefits) are eligibgle for local advice over the phone or face-to-face, tailored to their individual circumstances.

The National Careers Service is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and local enterprise partnerships to pilot careers advice for employed older people via their employer, to engage them with training and retain them within the labour market.

We are in the process of re-procuring the local, area-based National Careers Service contracts. As part of these contracts, we have specified that those who are over 50 and unemployed or at risk of redundancy should be a priority group for face-to-face advice in the service.