There has always been a debate about the purpose of education.

The traditional answers have included passing on knowledge or fulfilling personal potential, while the intense focus on exam results days shows this is another aspect that will always be central to education.

But preparation for work is an urgent cause for young people and should be one of our collective goals, too.

After all, a career education that connects students to their futures can make sure young people live lives of choice and opportunity well beyond their time at school.

Often the debate between skills and knowledge has always pitted one against the other, but it is critical that both should be seen as “hand in glove”.

The art of the possible 

The initial evidence sessions of the Commons Education Select Committee’s new inquiry into careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG) have shown that an education that takes careers into account can drive inspiration - especially for those who feel left behind by the system.

For example, we recently heard from Alice Barnard, CEO of the Edge Foundation, who shared a touching story about two women firefighters giving a talk to schoolgirls: “They [were] blown away by the idea that these firefighters are women and then suddenly the girls are thinking: ‘Well, I could do that’.”

In her words, CEIAG “is all about seeing the art of the possible, and to see the art of the possible you have to have that interaction”.

Other experts similarly told the Committee that CEIAG should be seen “not as guidance, but as a world of work inspiration” and that CEIAG was essential to encourage aspiration in those who felt disengaged from school, and the wider world of work, and the best way to do this is by showing them the route to get there.

That route, however, is the other half of the problem. In the world of work, skills and knowledge rely on each other.

Lawyers need to know the law but also how to marshal an argument in court; programmers need to understand coding languages but also how to communicate their innovations; doctors must understand how the body works but also how to make a patient feel safe and heard.

Education must do more to mirror this by weaving skills and knowledge together for young people.

These skills needn’t be purely technical either. For example, a recent government report found that people and communication skills are just as essential to develop in the next 10 years as data science skills. 

So, how can schools zero in on skills? There are three key areas of focus:

1. Upskilling teachers

Teachers are best placed to identify aspirations in children and guide them towards those career paths.

Unfortunately, they are currently stuck in the same knowledge trap as children - teaching and learning about important topics but lacking the time or insights to link them to the real world.

The best way to change that is through training routes like “externships”.

Through these, teachers spend time with local employers to learn how their subjects are used in business and so can then share potential career paths with students back in class and embed skills learning alongside academic learning.

These, alongside other training, can leverage teachers’ unmatched understanding of their students to help them develop their career aspirations.

2. Making learning relevant

Teachers can struggle to inspire students to commit to challenging subjects because children rarely believe what they are learning is relevant to their lives.

It’s hard to get children to care about statistical analysis, ratios or technical design because they rightly ask: “Will I ever use this?”

At the same time, businesses are crying out for important skills like public speaking and time management.

There’s no reason that these can’t be assessed and encouraged in schools, even if they aren’t subject specific.

For example, history students could spend time on archaeological digs to better understand how the skills and knowledge they pick up are relevant for the world of work.

Students of literature could test their mettle through work experience placements in publishing houses. The choices and possibilities are endless. 

3. A skills-rich curriculum

Department for Education analysis found that technical skills, digital literacy and data analysis will be essential in the next five to 10 years.

Yet, since 2010, there has been a 65 per cent fall in the number of pupils taking design and technology.

This is despite the fact that a DfE survey last year found that two of the top three GCSEs with the highest lifetime earnings potential were design and technology - £1.7 million in potential lifetime earnings.

Our curriculum should reflect this. Skills-based subjects like design and technology and engineering should be promoted - and expanded - to include the blossoming digital sector.

Just as academic careers should be at the forefront of teaching, so should technical ones; students deserve to choose which is right for them. 

For our economy’s sake, and for our children’s sake, the chasm between education and work should be closed.

In the coming Septembers, our focus should be less on arbitrary exam results and more on the chances schools can provide children throughout their lives.

Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow and a former skills minister, is chair of the Commons Education Select Committee

Oli de Botton is the CEO of the Careers Enterprise Company