Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is today expected to announce a raft of measures to help young people get into work, including allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to get advice from Jobcentre Plus centres.

In a speech at Southfields Academy in London, Mr Clegg is also due to promise to “ramp up” the requirement on schools to provide careers advice.

Further, he will say young jobseekers would be provided with work experience, and those without level two maths and English would be required to train as soon as they sign on for Jobseekers Allowance.

The speech comes with the release later today of the latest government statistics on young people not in education, employment or training (Neet). The last release, showing figures for July to September last year, put the number of 16 to 24-year-old Neets at 1.066 million, up from 1.038 million in the same period the previous year.

Mr Clegg is expected to say: “Too many young people aren’t getting what they need. In a recent survey, Ofsted found only one-in-five schools were giving all their students detailed careers support.

“And, for a lot of the young people I meet, careers guidance currently feels like a tick box exercise squeezed into lunchtime break with a busy teacher, who no doubt already has a lot on their plate.

“So, we are issuing new guidance for schools in the next few weeks that will set out just what good careers advice should look like — and not take-it-or-leave-it guidance.”

He is also due to say that Ofsted will “look more closely” at the quality of careers advice offered by schools during inspections.

“Right now, if you’re 16 or 17, and looking for work, you can’t go to your local Job Centre for advice about how to find a job,” the Lib Dem leader is expected to add.

“The rules say that you can only go to Jobcentre Plus at 18 or above. That just seems wrong.”

He will say that the government should be “getting in there early” to provide support.

“So I’m pleased to announce that government will now be testing a new approach in selected Job Centres across Britain,” Mr Clegg is to say, announcing a pilot of the scheme in Lewisham.

“This, for the first time, will give 16 and 17-year-olds access to personalised jobs advice and support through Jobcentre Plus.”

He will also announce a series of pilots, starting in the autumn in Kent, Mercia, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, for 18 to 21-year-olds, who will be required to prove they have level two maths and English qualifications.

“If they don’t, their adviser will get them on that training immediately to ensure that if you’re not earning, you’re still learning,” he will say.

“If you don’t do this training, you won’t get your Jobseekers Allowance.

“And critically, if you find a job, this training won’t just stop. You’ll be able to carry on with it, until you get the skills you need.”

He will also explain measures, from this autumn and piloted in Kent, for 18 to 21-year-olds who have been out of work for six months.

“After six months out of work, your adviser will also help you get a work placement,” Mr Clegg will say.

“This is so you can get first-hand experience of being in a workplace, as well as help build your confidence and develop more of the skills prospective employers want.

“If these pilots are successful, I want to see them rolled out across the country: putting earn or learn at the heart of the support we give you.”

He will conclude: “We want every young person to be able to follow their chosen path. This is my commitment to you — to do whatever we can to ensure you get an equal shot at the life you want.”

A Warwickshire-based provider has been told it can no longer offer qualifications from a leading awarding organisation after it investigated allegations of malpractice.

Bright Assessing, which has boasted a pass rate of between 95 and 100 per cent, has been told it will “no longer have any involvement in the administration, delivery, assessment, moderation, invigilation and certification” of any NCFE (formerly the Northern Council for Further Education) programmes.

The findings of the NCFE investigation have not been made public, but a spokesperson for Bright said it “vigorously disputes both the findings and the sanction” and that it would appeal. He declined to comment on how the decision would affect learners enrolled on NCFE courses.

A spokesperson for the awarding organisation said it could not reveal its findings until a ruling had been made on any appeal, which had to be in by the middle of next next month. Meanwhile, Ofqual has already said NCFE’s action was “appropriate”.

In November NCFE  told FE Week  it had launched an investigation into Bright, which provides qualifications for unemployed people who want to re-enter the workplace, following complaints from learners.

The awarding organisation spokesperson said: “Following a rigorous investigation into the quality standards of Bright, we have taken the decision to permanently withdraw centre approval.

“This means that Bright will no longer have any involvement in the administration, delivery, assessment, moderation, invigilation and certification of any NCFE programmes.

“Learners are at the heart of all we do and our stringent quality assurance processes are in place to ensure that the interests of our registered learners are protected.

“We take our duty of care to them extremely seriously and will do our utmost to support them, following the removal of Bright’s centre approval.”

But a spokesperson for Bright, originally called Bright Assessing but with the registered trading name of Bright International Training, hit back.

He said: “We vigorously dispute both the findings and the sanction imposed by NCFE, and have begun a process of appeal.

“We are also seeking the opinion and intervention of the regulator, Ofqual, and will be supplying information in support of our defence.

“We have subsequently been faced with critical challenges to our business, many of which could have been avoided had NCFE met its obligation to conduct appropriate external quality assurance processes and to provide adequate advice as per their contract with Bright and as stated within their own regulations.”

He added that Bright nevertheless still planned to “extend the range of courses we offer our learners” with other awarding organisations.

An Ofqual spokesperson said: “NCFE kept us informed throughout its investigations into allegations of malpractice at Bright. We consider the action it has taken to be appropriate to protect the integrity of its qualifications and the interests of those taking them.

“We require awarding organisations to investigate any allegations of malpractice by schools or colleges.

“Where it is found to be occurring, they must take swift and effective action to protect the integrity of the qualifications. The investigation and resulting action by NCFE in this case show that malpractice will not be tolerated.

“Bright can appeal to NCFE against the decision. If, after completing that process, it still wishes to make a complaint to Ofqual, we would then deal with it in accordance with our own complaints procedures and consider the evidence.”

Appeals at NCFE are heard by an internal panel, which includes an independent expert.

It comes just a month after Bright chief executive Krissy Charles-Jones was pulled up by Ofsted over a misleading tweet and posting on her company website that appeared to imply the education watchdog had visited and given it a good grading.

But a Bright-commissioned inspection firm — Portsmouth-based private contractor Prospect Consultants — had carried out the inspection.

A review of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has been launched by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The commission’s performance is under the spotlight in the consultation, opened this week to close on Friday, March 14.

It looks at how people view the role of the commission, its impact and success, among other things.

A spokesperson for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers confirmed it would be taking part in the survey having spoken to members first.

He told FE Week: “We wish to see the commission using partnership approaches to advance its proposals, working across the sector with employers and providers.

“Its proposals for skills and employment programmes should also integrate with mainstream delivery.”

The review takes place every three years as part of a regular government examination of publicly-funded bodies, “with the aim of increasing accountability for actions carried out on behalf of the state”.

In the consultation document, published by BIS, the commission’s role is defined as providing labour market intelligence, helping to “generate greater employer investment in skills” and “to maximise the impact of changed employment and skills policies and employer behaviour to help drive jobs, growth and an internationally competitive skills base”.

It is chaired by Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, who leads 29 commissioners drawn from employers and skills organisations, including Skills Funding Agency interim chief executive Barbara Spicer and Eastleigh College chief executive Tony Lau Walker. It employs around 100 staff in South Yorkshire and London.

The commission’s budget from BIS was £66.1m in 2011-12 and £70.1m the following year. Its current BIS budget was set at £66.4m.

The survey asks respondents how well it is achieving its mission and to define what they believe the commission’s role to be, and whether its functions overlap with any other organisations.

It also asks in which areas people think the commission has the most impact, in which areas it has the least, whether there is anything it should do more or less of, and if there is anything it should stop doing altogether.

The consultation document further asks if the commission will be affected by the possible decline of Sector Skills Councils, which will not be funded after next month, and if there were any other bodies which could do the work the commission does, such as local government or charities.

The results of the consultation will feed into the overall review.

The commission and the Association of Colleges declined to comment.

Visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/UKCESreview to complete the survey.