Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to create an education ‘fit for the future’ if Labour is elected into power at the next election.
The Labour leader said his party would refocus the curriculum, deliver new opportunities for digital skills, and make sure every child leaves school ready for work and life.
Among the changes to the education system pledged as part of a plan drawn up by Labour, the party wants to add pension planning, understanding credit scores and understanding employment contracts to the statutory citizenship curriculum in schools. Under the plan, young people could also expect to partake in two week’s worth of compulsory work experience, as well as being given ‘quality careers advice’.
In a policy aimed at tackling digital poverty, the party also wants to establish a device renewal fund to help guarantee every child has access to a device at home.
Speaking about Labour’s plan for education, Labour Leader Keir Starmer MP said;
“Every child should leave education ready for work and ready for life.
“Employers all around the country, in every sector, have told me how much they need well-rounded young people with relevant skills, literate in technology, equipped for life. And young people have told me how ambitious they are for their own futures.
“That’s why Labour would create an education system that would give every child the skills for the future.”
The Labour Party is holding its Annual Conference in Brighton, in what is the party’s first in-person conference since 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic. The conference, which is spanning five days from 25-29 September, has seen a variety of speeches, as well as engagement events and an exhibition with a range of businesses present.
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to address his first in-person Labour Annual Conference as leader on Wednesday.
Elsewhere at the Conference, Shadow Business Secretary and former Labour Leader Ed Miliband has set out plans to invest in decarbonisation and has accused the government of causing a “disaster” due to “inaction” over the current gas prices crisis.
The Conference comes after almost all lockdown restrictions have been dropped in the UK, though parts of the economy continue to operate in difficult circumstances as a result of the damage caused by the pandemic.
Ahead of the Conference, a row started over the Labour Party’s constitution, with Sir Keir Starmer having since dropped changes which would have seen changes to the way Labour elects its leaders.
It is thought that the planned changes would have seen Labour Party members accounting for less of the overall vote count in any future leadership contests, which caused significant criticism by some opponents. A differed package of measures has been provisionally agreed, part of which would prevent people from becoming a Labour member just ahead of a future election in order to vote for a new leader.
