Youth Unemployment Committee takes evidence on schools, further education and assessment

On Thursday 27 May 2021 the House of Lords Youth Unemployment Committee (@LordsYouthUnemp) will hold two evidence sessions which will be held remotely and streamed on Parliament TV.

At 10.15am the committee will hear evidence from:

• Phil Avery – Director of Education, Bohunt Multi-Academy Trust
• Tom Richmond – Founder and Director, EDSK
• Andy Sprakes – Co-founder and Chief Academic Officer, XP School.

At 11.15am the committee will hear from:

• Neil Bates – Managing Director, Seetec Outsource Training Ltd; Chairman, Edge Foundation
• Sally Dicketts – Chief Executive, Activate Learning
• David Hughes – Chief Executive, Association of Colleges.

The topics the committee is likely to cover include:

• Key barriers in delivering a secondary education that equips young people for the future.
• Whether the national curriculum works for young people studying today.
• The purpose of examinations and other assessment at ages 16 and 18.
• Whether options for young people in further education are clear and easy to understand.
• The role of colleges in the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.
• The attributes and skills needed by employers and how FE can ensure the development of those skills needed in the future.

The Youth Unemployment Committee is considering what measures should be taken to protect and create jobs for young people and will be proposing long-term and durable solutions to the problem of youth unemployment.

It will also examine how the labour market for young people may change due to current events such as COVID-19, Brexit, and technological developments in the longer term. It intends to report before the end of November 2021.

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Education Recovery Commissioner and Downing Street policy adviser to give evidence to the Youth Unemployment Committee  

Last week the Committee Sir Kevan Collins, Education Recovery Commissioner, Department of Education and Baroness Wolf of Dulwich CBE, Professor of Public Sector Management, King’s College London and expert adviser to the Number 10 Policy Unit. You can watch the sessions back on Parliament TV.

On Tuesday 18 May 2021 the House of Lords Youth Unemployment Committee held two evidence sessions which will be held remotely and streamed on Parliament TV.

At 10.15am the Committee will hear evidence from:

• Sir Kevan Collins, Education Recovery Commissioner, Department of Education.

At 11.15am the Committee will hear from:

• Baroness Wolf of Dulwich CBE, Professor of Public Sector Management, King’s College London and expert adviser to the Number 10 Policy Unit.

The topics the Committee is likely to cover include:

• Weaknesses in our education system that have been highlighted by the COVID-19 crisis.
• The adequacy of the national curriculum in equipping young people for the modern world.
• The role of digital skills in the post-pandemic education recovery and their place in the future of education.
• Priorities for the skills agenda for young people aged 16 to 24.
• The success and suitability of the new T Levels for young people today and in the future.
• The impact of the Apprenticeship Levy on young people.
• The Kickstart Scheme as it relates to skills development.

The Youth Unemployment Committee is considering what measures should be taken to protect and create jobs for young people and will be proposing long-term and durable solutions to the problem of youth unemployment.

It will also examine how the labour market for young people may change due to current events such as COVID-19, Brexit, and technological developments in the longer term. It intends to report before the end of November 2021.

Recently the committee took evidence from Techcentre, Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster, Holts Group, Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE), Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), and Small Business Britain.