1. What steps are the Welsh Government taking to enable pupils to have a fuller understanding of the opportunities open to them in the world of work? OAQ(5)0072(EDU)

Careers Wales provides independent and impartial information, advice and guidance on learning and career opportunities, including labour market information and intelligence. The company is actively supporting schools to engage with employers and businesses to provide students with opportunities to interact with the world of work.

I thank the Minister for that answer. Before I was elected I was a lawyer and when I was a schoolchild I didn’t know any lawyers. No parents of friends or family friends were lawyers but somehow it happened. But in today’s changing economy people may not even know what sorts of jobs are available as they’re going through school, and in regions such as my own we hope to see significant changes in the kind of opportunities coming forward. The Minister will be aware of the World Economic Forum report of this month, which encourages Governments to ensure that the world of work is embedded into the school journey from the earliest opportunity. So, in addition to the advice and the guidance that he referred to in his answer, would the Government consider issuing mandatory guidance to schools about embedding the world of work and the experience and opportunities into the school curriculum from an early age?

Can I say that I very much welcome the question and remarks from the Member for Neath? I recognise his description and I recognise that all too often too many children in schools don’t have the opportunities that others may have in order to look and see the breadth of opportunities available to them. Our friend describes careers in law but there are, of course, careers elsewhere that would be equally as inspiring for children and young people. Can I say that secondary schools are required to provide a careers and world of work programme, which does include work-focused experiences? But I think the point that the Member makes is a powerful one and I will look at the guidance that is available to schools on careers and the world of work to ensure that that guidance does ensure that we provide children in school with not only the opportunity to understand this but also provide opportunities for people to visit schools and to inspire children to reach their full potential.

Minister, can I commend the Welsh Government for promoting the Careers Wales mark. I think it’s an excellent initiative and it’s I think now attracting the membership of most schools in Wales and leading to more informed career choices and identification of necessary skills for students as they prepare to enter the world of work. But I’m told there have been problems in the last few years with effective placements and this would also affect people from outside coming into schools to talk about the world of work, and that looking for effective placements has been crowded out of the curriculum. I think schools do their students a disservice if they don’t emphasise the importance of really effective placements and the vision of the world of work that they can give to students.

I recognise the difficulties that the Member describes. I will say that Careers Wales now have something like 60 school-employer Business Class partnerships established. Certainly, a part of the work in developing the new curriculum is to open up these sorts of opportunities and these sorts of conversations within schools and for pupils and between schools and employers. If the Member has any individual issues that he wishes to raise with me, if he would put them in writing, then I’d certainly be very happy to reply more fully to those individual concerns and place that correspondence in the library for all Members to see.

Minister, in the sort of reverse role from my colleague from Neath, I recently met with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers who had a programme that was encouraging teachers to actually go out into the workplace and gain understanding and knowledge of the engineering and STEM areas, funded by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers as well. Will you be looking at such schemes to ensure that we’ve got teachers in the classroom who can then be enthused to actually drive the agenda forward for more STEM and more engineering graduates and people taking up those professions?

Very much so. The Cabinet Secretary is in her place and has heard the point that you make and she will reflect on that in terms of the wider issues in terms of teacher training and teacher support. I think that’s a very important aspect of what we’re seeking to achieve in terms of leadership of schools as well. The focus on leadership that the Cabinet Secretary’s tried to create since her appointment has been for some of these different reasons. I very much welcome that the Institute of Mechanical Engineers are providing this support to science teachers. And, of course, providing and strengthening the place of the school in the wider community in terms of the world of business and the economy is absolutely what we would seek to do.