Future First has emphasised the importance of alumni in supporting students to develop career plans as political pressure grows to offer young people more help.
Robert Halfon MP, Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee has said: “We should see at least three careers meetings per pupil, per year, involving colleges, technical education providers and apprenticeship providers.
“This would show we mean business when it comes to supporting our young people with their futures”.
The Education Select Committee has launched an investigation into the national approach to careers education which, according to the TES, has been labelled ‘piecemeal’ by heads. The call for evidence has just closed and MPs will now consider what it tells them. They will also look at how arrangements for careers education, information, advice and guidance for children and young people could better support disadvantaged or left behind groups to access career opportunities that may otherwise not be available to them.
Future First’s Chief Executive, Lorraine Langham, said: “Alumni bring employers, apprentices, Further Education and Higher Education straight into the classroom in a relatable and sustainable way. Working with Future First makes it easy to bring back past pupils as relatable role models to show young people a future that could be theirs. Too many schools are missing out on the opportunities afforded by a thriving and engaged alumni network which can support them in many ways, including with careers education and guidance”.
For more than a decade, Future First has worked to provide students with access to alumni and other relatable role models so they build the knowledge, understanding and confidence they need to develop their career pathways.
In the last year alone the charity has connected more than 71,000 young people with alumni volunteers and relatable role models.
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