Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they are putting into careers guidance in schools and colleges to help reduce potential future increases in the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

The department is expanding opportunities for young people through high-quality careers guidance and meaningful work experience. Evidence shows that strong careers provision can reduce the risk of a young person being not in education, employment or training by 8% after age 16 and 18.

Working with the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), we continue to raise quality through investment in careers hubs, employer networks and careers leader training, all of which help schools and colleges improve their provision. The CEC is introducing OnTrack+, a data tool that helps educators identify emerging support needs for learners in years 7 to 11, strengthening engagement and supporting successful post-16 transitions.

The department’s ambition is for every young person to have two weeks’ worth of work experience during their secondary education. We are investing in pilot activities to identify and remove barriers to high-quality placements, with targeted support for disadvantaged cohorts and learners in state-funded alternative provision.