ICG President Kieran Gordon recently attended a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group of the National Skills Forum. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Alan Johnson, gave a presentation on the Government's plans for skills policy for the coming year, with particular reference to the Leitch Review, to an audience of MPs and non parliamentarians from a range of interested bodies, including FE, HE, SSCs, ALI, etc. The speech embraced many of Leitch's recommendations and indicated that Leitch's observation and direction was broadly right. The only certain aspect was that Government would soon establish an Employment and Skills Commission and were currently looking to who would head this. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session to the SoS.
Kieran asked the Secretary of State what the Government's intentions were towards Leitch's recommendations on a universal adult careers service and given Leitch's reference to high levels of non learning engagement amongst older young people at 17/18+, whether the Government would seek to go beyond Leitch and provide an all age career guidance service in recognition of the delayed transition for a significant number of young adults. Kieran added that it was important that Government recognised career guidance, planning and decision making as a lifelong process and not an event.
Alan Johnson was positive in his reply without making a commitment; he agreed that career guidance needed a higher level of attention than it has and will look at this with a view to raising its profile. He commented that Government recognised the important role that career guidance can play in enthusing, motivating and encouraging people to engage and progress and agreed that it is a lifelong process.
The Institute has recently written to the SoS asking for public recognition of the EU Resolution on Guidance and offering to work with Government in developing career education and guidance in the UK. | 
