𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

As a parent and former education secretary, I know how important it is for students to achieve the exam grades needed to pursue their next best step. So much attention this year has focused on the underachievement in maths and English of white working-class students.

For this group, the fear that they join the near one million young people not in any form of education, employment or training is real. But exam grades aren’t the whole story. White working-class students are also reporting low confidence understanding the world of work, and say they lack the basic skills employers are looking for.

Nationally, the data is clear that careers education is improving year on year. This means pupils are developing confidence and attributes employers need.

However, data collected by The Careers & Enterprise Company from over a third of a million students shows white working-class children lagging behind.

Overall, white working-class students are less career-ready at 16 than those not on Free School Meals.

This applies to every key employability skill, from problem-solving to creativity to leadership.

The analysis finds that white working-class girls show considerably lower confidence in speaking about their skills in interviews.

White working-class boys are much less likely to say they understand A levels.

Boys and girls from these backgrounds say they are less likely to know about the recruitment processes that they will need to navigate to get into a job.

This needs to change, and that’s why I’ve joined the independent inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes.

For my part, I want to see even greater progress nationally on careers education.

We know it works.

New analysis by the national body for careers education shows that the Government saves £300million each year through improved careers education, otherwise spent on areas like welfare and wider public costs when a young person becomes NEET.

Employers are key.

In Liverpool, as part of a JPMorganChase-backed project, local employers used relatable mentors to build relationships with disengaged young white boys to help improve their future prospects.

The impact of interventions like this can be hugely significant.

More than nine in every 10 of the white working-class boys taking part successfully transferred to college or training on leaving school at 16.

But this isn’t all. The Government’s manifesto commitment on work experience provides a huge opportunity to prioritise young people who are currently missing out, to increase their exposure to different workplaces and to help them re-engage with their education.

There is nothing inevitable about white working-class children leaving the school gates unprepared.

Their potential is incredible, and the huge improvements already seen in careers education nationally must now focus on breaking down the barriers this specific group of young people face.

Baroness Nicky Morgan is a former secretary of state for education, and is chairwoman of The Careers and Enterprise Company