A delegation of more than 12 young people have met Charles Clarke, secretary of state for education and skills, as part of the development of the new 14-19 proposals. We came from a variety of organisations including The NYA, the British Youth Council, Save the Children and the UK Youth Parliament.
Mr Clarke led the half-hour discussions, which focused on many areas ranging from the shape of the curriculum itself, to its assessment, the vocational and academic options and accreditation.
Hayley Symons, 23, from the Redbridge young parents' project in London, urged Mr Clarke to ensure that "all young people who cannot access education should be entitled to one". Mark Foy, 18, from the Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre in east London said it had been a good, if slightly rushed, opportunity to influence the minister. Commenting on the plans to make more effort to recognise vocational training Mark added: "Wider opportunities, such as my sports coaching training scheme, should not be left to chance and should be built into the curriculum."
Elizabeth O'Brien, 16, MYP for Westminster, said: "It's vital that young people leave school with the life skills that are going to make a difference to their lives." Katherine Grabham, 18, from Save the Children, Durham, said: "It's great that the secretary of state is listening to young people." Let's hope she's right.
I told Mr Clarke that we had to ensure we did not miss this opportunity to build in vocational skills to the curriculum, and learn from the youth work approach on how to really engage with young people. What ever happens now, we have to keep up the pressure so that the voice of young people is being heard on this very important issue.
- For more information on the 14-19 reform working group, go to www.14-19reform.gov.uk.
