Labour pledge career guidance to ‘encourage girls to go into science’

Every secondary school and college student would be given face-to-face careers guidance by a trained adviser under a Labour government.

Tristram Hunt was on Radio 4 this morning explaining Labour’s pledge which he said will mean that careers advice will no longer be the responsibility of whichever teacher is handed it that year.

Mr Miliband has said the new scheme, which will cost £50m, will provide young people with knowledge needed to succeed in the wider world.

However this is not new money – it will be taken from university budgets which are currently specifically allocated to widening participation and outreach to sixth-formers who may not consider a university education.

Mr Hunt, denied that this was “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and said that the new system would mean schools could be better held to account on the quality of the careers advice and programmes they offer.