England’s education and careers system should introduce more ‘character’ development opportunities – building self-belief, determination, and resilience –to prepare young people for the fast-changing economy, says Baroness Morgan, Chair of The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC).
In a paper published by the Social Market Foundation – a cross-party think tank – Baroness Morgan, Chair of the CEC and former Education Secretary, calls for innovative practice in educational and professional settings to help young people develop key traits like self-belief, determination, self-control and resilience, to become ‘career ready’.
Both government and opposition are looking to review the English school curriculum in the next Parliament, and have expressed an interest in broadening the offer to students. In the last decade, the English education system has adapted to be more knowledge-rich and STEM skills-focused, however the uncertainty of the coming era due to new challenges like AI and the transition to net zero mean that the education system is currently lacking in its offer to young people.
There is broad consensus among educators, experts and employers that young people need ‘applied’ character traits such as speaking, listening, teamwork and resilience that can set them up for the future.
