For too long now, technical education and skills have been seen as the Cinderella of our education system - the poor relation to more traditional academic routes in education.

But we must remember that Cinderella went on to become a member of the royal family and we need to take action to banish the two ugly sisters of snobbery and under-funding.

In the same way, we must champion the undoubted value of skills in helping learners climb the educational ladder of opportunity.

Funding per student aged 16-18 has fallen by 11 per cent in real terms over the past decade, while participation in adult skills and lifelong learning has slumped to its lowest level in more than 20 years. 

Skills and post-16 education: We must go further 

For this reason, I welcomed the £3 billion of funding for skills announced by the Chancellor in the autumn Budget, which represents a positive change in the government’s ambition. 

In the workplace, employer-led training has dropped by half since the end of the 1990s and 9 million working-age adults in England have low literacy or numeracy skills, with 6 million adults not qualified even to level 2.

The Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the 42 per cent increase in skills spending in last autumn’s Budget, and the introduction of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, all combine to signal a welcome step-change in policy, demonstrating that this government is serious about bringing about the skills revolution that this country so desperately needs.

The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill currently going through Parliament contains numerous positive ambitions.

It will support continuous learning through the introduction of a lifelong loan entitlement for training and qualifications, with the Lifetime Skills Guarantee offering an exciting opportunity for a level 3 qualification to millions of adults. It will also tailor education and training to better meet local needs. 

But there is one area where we must go much further if we are truly serious about making a success of the skills agenda. We must push to ensure that skills and vocational opportunities are put front and centre when it comes to careers advice in schools.

Making schools offer more vocational opportunities 

Currently, the Bill would require schools to provide all pupils with two mandatory encounters with technical education providers during Years 8-11, with another in Year 12 or 13.

My amendment to the Bill would toughen up the legislation to give much greater prominence to the so-called Baker clause - named after the former education secretary - and would require schools to allow technical colleges and apprenticeships providers to talk to their pupils about vocational options.

According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), just two in five schools are complying with the Baker clause.

This is not good enough when we are looking to rocket-boost skills and give vocational training a parity of esteem alongside more traditional routes.

Currently, the Skills Bill allows for one careers guidance meeting per pupil for each of the three key year groups - Years 8-9, Years 10-11 and Years 12-13 - which totals just three meetings over the course of a pupil’s academic career.

My amendment would provide for three meetings per pupil, per key year group, with a range of education and training providers.

This equates to nine meetings in total for every young person and would mean young people between the ages of 13 and 17 get the proper advice they need to be fully informed of the wide range of options open to them.

Preparing for the fourth industrial revolution

The Bill is due to return to the House of Common this week.

By accepting the amendment, the government can truly show that it means business when it comes to vocational routes and careers education.

Late last month, the education committee also launched its inquiry on careers education, information, advice and guidance.

We will conduct a root-and-branch exploration of current provision to assess whether young people are getting the right guidance to prepare them for the future world of work and allow them to thrive in their careers.

The education committee is dedicated to addressing social justice in education.

For this reason, there will be a particular focus on disadvantaged children and left-behind groups, to ensure that they can access career opportunities that might otherwise not be available to them.

Having access to vocational and non-academic routes out of school is essential, not only for the country’s skills revolution and meeting the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution, but also for the future prosperity of our young people.

If we really want to build an apprenticeship and skills nation, we will first need to transform our careers offering and advice across the country.

Robert Halfon is chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee and a former skills minister