Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps with her Cabinet colleagues to promote careers in the ceramics manufacturing sector through schools.

High-quality careers information, advice, and guidance is key to helping young people to make informed decisions about their future. This includes the ability to find out about and consider different careers options available, such as in the ceramics manufacturing sector.

Whilst an essential element of careers advice is that it is impartial, the department works with the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to embed best practice, so that young people are aware of the full range of careers and have access to meaningful encounters with a range of employers and workplaces.

The department funds Careers Hubs, which lead partnerships of secondary schools, colleges, employers, Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities, and careers providers to help young people connect closely to local skills and economic needs through a responsive careers education programme. Through this network, schools can make links with employers from a wide range of sectors who are working with schools and colleges to improve careers education to support young people to make informed choices, and to develop the skills they need and employers want.

The CEC can work with business and sector bodies to help them to engage with schools and colleges across England. Sector bodies can register their interest via the CEC at: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/employers/industry-partnerships/. Individual employers can also register their interest to support schools and colleges through the Enterprise Adviser Network or as a Cornerstone Employer via the CEC’s Employers webpage at: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/employers/. Cornerstone Employers are a flagship group of employers from a range of sectors that work with networks of schools and colleges to improve careers education and ensure key skills for their sector are understood by teachers and education leaders.

In addition, the National Careers Service, a free, government-funded careers information, advice, and guidance service draws on a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. The Service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles. These include a range of manufacturing roles, and describe what those roles entail, qualifications, and entry routes.