Financial independence should be the goal of careers education

I spend a lot of time visiting schools. The fact that as an apprenticeship provider I am invited shows that the headteachers no longer see traditional options as a guaranteed route to employment or financial independence and equally do not want their students to add to the serious challenge which Alan Milburn is addressing in his NEET review.

Yet with many of the hundreds of students I talk to, the picture can be more nuanced than simply finding a job which comes with an apprenticeship. The need for financial independence often leads to the blunt question of “how can I make some money?”

The Diverse Futures model delivers a multi-stepped approach to supporting the objective of more local jobs for local people. It comprises three pillars: selecting talent based on character, attitude and aptitude for learning (not grades), work readiness training and further training which is flexible to individual learning and needs. This approach has led to Ofsted declaring the organisation to be ‘exceptional’ for inclusion, the first independent training provider (ITP) to be awarded this.