Work skills training at centre of Labour's education manifesto

Labour's education manifesto includes a promise to boost the employability of teenagers through guaranteed face-to-face individual careers advice.

The party is also pledging to bring back compulsory work experience for 14- to 16-year-olds, which was scrapped by the coalition government.

In addition, Labour has pledged to introduce “a new gold standard Technical Baccalaureate” vocational qualification for those aged 16 to 18.

The manifesto says that workplace skills have been “sidelined” over the past five years “at exactly the time when employers are asking for more from school leavers than just qualifications”.

The Confederation of British Industry deputy director-general Katja Hall has backed the reinstatement of mandatory work experience and Labour’s focus on vocational skills.

She said: “It’s right to focus on vocational skills and apprenticeships that can help to plug skills gaps, as for too long A levels followed by university has been seen as the only route to a good career. But employers must have real control over standards and funding if businesses are to step up and play their part.”

For early years, Labour is pledging to give parents a legal guarantee of access to childcare from 8am to 6pm through primary schools and an extension of free childcare from 15 to 25 hours for working parents of three- and four-year-olds. Children’s centres will also be asked to provide more childcare.

Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, welcomed this focus on children’s centres. She said: “All evidence shows that investment in the early years of a child’s life make a huge difference to educational attainment. I therefore welcome the commitment to restoring the Sure Start programme that fell victim to the Coalition government’s unnecessary and savage cuts.”

The manifesto also pledges to scrap the Free Schools programme, with the money reinvested in reducing class sizes in primary schools. In addition, all teachers must be qualified.

National Union of Teachers general secretary Christine Blower said: “There are some positive elements in the Labour education manifesto, such as the right for a child to be taught by a qualified teacher, smaller class sizes, the restoration of Sure Start and face-to-face career guidance.

“Ending the costly and ineffective free schools programme is certainly an essential step for whoever forms the next government as is protecting the education budget.”

But she is concerned that the manifesto does not mention reform of the inspection regime, which is “stifling creativity in the curriculum”.

The Conservative Party has yet to unveil its manifesto, but earlier this week announced plans to force pupils that fail their end of primary school Sats exams to resit them in secondary school.