‘THE FORGOTTEN HALF’

In their report ‘The Forgotten Half’, produced for The Private Equity Foundation, Demos outlined a series of recommendations to the Coalition Government to help young people; focusing on the employability skills, character, literacy and numeracy they need to succeed in work and life; giving them the support they need to stay on track and the experience of the world of work alongside mentoring.

“Our interest is in the provision of an education that gives young people the experience and skills to continually build their careers once they enter the labour market. We urge 
that the education system be less focused on pushing young people through the hoops of assessment that lead on to higher education, and more focused on equipping them with the capabilities to progress through the labour market.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

The essential labour market preparation that should be delivered by schools:

§  Teaching core literacy and numeracy skills, including recovery and/or consolidation through intensive learning across primary and secondary schooling.

§  ‘Vocationalised’ academic learning (academic skills learned in vocational contexts).

§   Engaging and creative activities that build ‘soft skills’ and ‘character capabilities’ through practical learning, enterprise and entrepreneurship, and community-based learning.

§  High quality work experience and employability skills training, including:

•   opportunities for high-quality practical and vocational learning
•   the teaching of specific ‘employability skills’ like CV writing and interview techniques
•      meaningful work experience
•   business engagement in education
•      high quality information, advice and guidance on work 
and careers.