Government got away with deception over Careers Service

SO, a cross-party group of MPs have finally realised that there has been a “worrying deterioration” in careers advice for young people (Yorkshire Post, January 23). What a great shame that this realisation only dawned after the Government has seen fit to dismantle our once excellent Careers Service!

How naive to now question the “consistency, quality, independence and impartiality” of advice now available in schools who have been tasked with “buying in” such a service on an individual basis from their own tight budgets. And no mention of the plight of our 16 and 17-year-old school leavers trying to access such support in areas such as my own, where the Connexions Service is being withdrawn due to lack of funding.

I am part of a dedicated team of fully qualified professionals with a wealth of experience and expertise to offer, who are about to be made redundant at a time when the Neet population has never been higher or more in need of our advice and guidance.

The much trumpeted new National Careers Service (NCS) does not provide this kind of support to this group, merely a telephone helpline; a poor substitute for the kind of face-to-face support and follow-up previously on offer.

How on earth has this Government got away with this kind of deception? Anyone with school-age children should sit up and take notice now.

Has it ever been more important to receive careers advice from properly trained and qualified practitioners to ensure your children make well informed realistic decisions which could affect the rest of their adult lives?

If you care, as passionately as we do, about the plight of this soon to be “lost generation” of young people, lobby your MPs now for the Careers Service to be reinstated to its former glory where it can be properly monitored and quality controlled and delivered by true professionals, not target-driven individuals with one eye on their bonuses and “outcomes”.

All young people should get an equal bite of the cherry and should not become victims of the postcode lottery so accurately described in your recent article. I cannot believe this issue has failed to receive wider Press attention to date.

From: Robert Carlton, Athol Crescent, Ovenden, Halifax.

AFTER reading the article “Children cooped up by safety paranoia” (Yorkshire Post, January 19) in which former government adviser Professor Tanya Byron states the levels of paranoia about health and safety and wellbeing are insane, she claims there are no more predators on the streets and no more paedophiles than when she was growing up in the 1970s.

I grew up in the 1970s and, while I was aware that there were people that children should be aware of, I believe there are more predators on the streets now, and there are more paedophiles.

Child abuse is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. The consequences of losing control are frightening for all, yet that’s what I’m reading – a lack of understanding of the situation. A failure to admit there’s a problem in society. Too many people know there’s a problem but don’t know how to deal with it.

It does appear sometimes that we don’t have any answers. But maybe we’re not asking the right questions.

Maybe we just accept that’s how the world is and can’t do anything about it. Too many people have lost control and I understand why, but for the children’s sake we must remain in control and not let the actions of others affect how we live.

From: Peter Asquith-Cowen, First Lane, Anlaby, near Beverley.

the reasons why some schools are not performing well is deep and complex, however, I believe wealth, employment, background and family aspirations are a major factor, along with personal esteem and motivation.

There has to be a reason why some schools have all done so well. It is my belief that they have a traditional ethos: parents who expect their children to do well, and highly motivated staff; but the X-factor is still elusive and all these other factors still don’t adequately explain why some schools are doing better than others. Whoever discovers this X-factor discovers the ‘key’ to improving educational performance in England.