Social mobility committee recommends early end to curriculum

The House of Lords Committee on Social Mobility has published a report – Overlooked and Left Behind – in which it says the national curriculum should finish at 14 to give youngsters time to prepare for the workplace. Martin Doel, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “The Committee raised a valid point about giving young people the maximum amount of time to prepare for moving into the workplace. “We share the opinion that careers education in schools should begin as soon as possible – definitely as early as 11 – to help young people plan for big decisions that will affect their future. “Colleges, with their expert teachers and industry-standard facilities, are ideally placed to show young people that technical and professional education and training are not an afterthought and are a positive step towards a whole range of careers. “If we are to maintain a strong UK economy, young people must be able to get access to jobs in their local community. Colleges, with their links to employers, are the ideal place to help them get their first step onto the career ladder.”