Careers advice for seven-year-olds
SIX primary schools in Plymouth will take part in a national pilot scheme offering careers advice to children from the age of seven.
Beechwood Primary School, Mary Dean's Church of England Primary School, Oakwood Primary School, St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Whitleigh Community Primary School and Woodfield Primary School will trial 'career-related learning' over the school year for pupils.
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'RADICAL' APPROACH': Schools Secretary Ed Balls
The six schools are expected to encourage pupils and parents to discuss work and education choices during the pilot, which is a precursor for plans being drawn up by Schools Secretary Ed Balls.
Mr Balls announced the plans yesterday. Under the scheme, primary schools will offer 'career-related learning' – as well as chances to experience university life and the world of work – to children aged between seven and 11.
Mr Balls also outlined an ambition to provide careers advice through to the age of 18 years old, as well as giving every young person access to a mentor who can guide them through the process of preparing for adult life.
Mr Balls said that a 'radical change' is needed in careers advice, as it is 'too late' for children to start thinking about their future at 14, when they start choosing subjects at secondary school. He said: "I want this generation of young people to be able to look back and say their careers advice and guidance was relevant and gave them informed options."
End-of-year assemblies at primary school could be used to introduce children to career options, and universities could form links with primaries to get pupils thinking about higher education from an early age, he said.
New research published yesterday shows that children at 11 years old have 'very high aspirations', with 75 per cent saying they want to go to university.
Carol Henwood, principal adviser on neighbourhood and informal learning for Plymouth City Council, said: "We are one of just a few pilots in the country. They are calling it career-related learning but it's more about encouraging self-esteem and raising aspiration.
"It's about opening the children's eyes to the different possibilities to raise their aspirations and build their confidence on the things they might want to do when they are older. We are making sure this is embedded in the curriculum.
"They will be linking up with employers and will be having visitors into the schools who are perhaps role models."
Ms Henwood said the Plymouth schools would concentrate on 10 and 11-year-olds in the pilot – and they are also expected to visit the university.
Under Ed Balls' plans, careers advice will be made available through Internet social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube and a dedicated online mentoring scheme.
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by x, torbay
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 11:12PM
“there is always far fewer places than applicants. So find a solution to that problem and devise a system that is distributed equally amongs every individual. A points based system would be better than money and equality would prevail and balance the imbalances of society.”
by mark, torbay
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 11:09PM
“its almost like some guy telling them this what we want you to be but it is all for the benefit of corporations and governments. Humanity once had a proud history on this planet but now we have our lives laid out before we are even born and our destiny is chosen for us. WE have no say in the matter. SO did you're kid ever really have a choice in the life he wanted to lead? WHat about individual societies and different groups of people with different ways of living? It's all been wiped out for capitalism. What a waste of a proud history.”
by mike, torbay
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 11:04PM
“It would be better if kids got to see more of the world rather than being cooped up in a classroom being told about the world by some stranger who maybe has not done much in their life or seen much of the world. If kids saw more of the real world then it would give them more an idea what they wanted to do instead of being wasted and stuck in a classroom. How can anykid get a taste of the world being stuck in some un tiny little clasroom wasting away precious days of their life. Why should this be the only way to learn in life for kids? THere are many people who would like to live alternative lifestyles but the government forces them to adopt there methods. THat is fascism”
by Mick, Plymouth
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 11:14AM
“What a joke. Has this government got nothing better to do than come up with something like this. How is it going to be funded as the economy is in tatters and tax receipts dropping and now we are only the 7th richest country in the world down from 4th.
We should concentrate on teaching children of this age the difference between right and wrong, how to read and write and that having sex and children when you are still only a child yourself is wrong and that the dole is not the answer even if mummy and daddy say it is the best job in the world.”
by Marc, Plym
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 9:32AM
“At the age of seven children are still getting to grips with the world, and therefore the world that it being constructed around them has to be very black-and-white. For example, girls are nurses and boys are doctors. Although unnecessary for adults, these boundaries are there in developing years and keep things simple while in the early stages of learning.
What about the girl who wants to be a doctor? Or the budding Billy Elliot? I shudder to think of the boy unable to learn about ballet because "Well little Johnny, that's a GIRL'S job."”