The Prime Minister David Cameron has expressed his concerns that too many young people don’t hear about apprenticeships from their teachers.
He suggested that university-educated teachers who perhaps favour the academic route are failing to mention apprenticeships to their pupils.
In a bid to provide more guidance to young people unsure of which direction to go in after leaving school, the Prime Minister pledged to publish data on the job prospects and likely salary for each university, academic course and apprenticeship.
Mr Cameron said: “There are good things happening, but I think there are a couple of areas we still need to get right. One is the careers advice we give to people in schools. So often when I meet apprentices and I ask ‘how did you hear about the apprenticeships’ they say ‘well, I found it online’ or ‘I knew a family friend’ or ‘I knew the business because it was nearby’. I don’t get the answer enough: ‘I was told at school about the apprenticeship pathways as well as the university pathway.'”
“You need to explain both to people. This is not a criticism of teachers but most teachers did A-levels, filled out a Ucas form, went to university. They are very familiar with that path and we need to make sure the careers advice in schools offers both the pathways.”
