Ministers 'passing the buck' on careers advice

Many of the problems facing careers advice and guidance in schools stem from government policy and not a lack of knowledge among teachers, it was claimed this week.

It comes after the business secretary Vince Cable said that teachers “know absolutely nothing about the world of work”.

Speaking to manufacturing industry executives last week, Mr Cable said that successive governments had failed to get careers advice right but that teachers, particularly in the secondary sector, were an “underlying problem”.

However, a commentary on the careers situation, released by the University of Derby last week, highlights a range of other issues that are hampering the delivery of effective services. It identifies the abolition of the national Connexions network, the axing of statutory requirements for work experience, a lack of funding for schools, and delays in government guidance as key problems.