Education and Skills

Partnership in Power - Draft Final Year Documents

DRAFT - This is a discussion paper only. The content of this document does not necessarily reflect Government or Labour Party policy.

Introduction

In an increasingly competitive global economy, we cannot afford to waste the talents of any person. Labour wants a world-class education for all, and not just a privileged few. We want to give every person the chance to unlock their talents, so that no one is held back because of poverty or disadvantage.

Since 1997, we have transformed education from early years to opportunities for adult learners. In 1997, there were no guaranteed free nursery places or Sure Start Children's Centres. Today, there are almost 2,500 Sure Start Children's Centres and a free nursery place for every three and four year old.

At the heart of Labour's vision for a fairer society, every child must have the chance to make the most of their talents. That's why we have set out the Children's Plan to improve the health, happiness and well-being of all children.

Labour's Children's Plan aims to make this country the best place for children and young people to grow up in. It shows our commitment to families, whatever their shape or size, and our commitment to give every child the chance to unlock their talent and narrow the gap in educational achievement between the most disadvantaged young people and their peers.

We have always made education a priority. Spending per pupil has almost doubled in real terms from less than £2,900 to over £5,400 today. And there are 39,000 more teachers and 174,000 more teaching assistants and support staff in our schools. As a result, young people are achieving some of the best ever results at 11, 14, 16 and 18. Over 100,000 more 11 year olds are mastering the basics in reading, writing and numeracy. Our long term ambition is to raise the level of investment per pupil to today's private school levels, so that every child gets a world-class education.

Labour in government has made much progress on the skills level of our nation. Today we have a higher education sector that is the envy of much of the world. Since 1997, 1.7 million more adults have gained literacy and numeracy qualifications and record numbers are studying at university. But there is still huge challenge ahead - we cannot afford to waste the talents of any person.

Supporting children, families and young people

Labour's Children's Plan

The Children's Plan seeks to strengthen our support for all families. Our vision is to promote the health and happiness of all children; to back parents and help them meet their responsibilities in bringing up their children; and to build a culture of prevention and early intervention so that no child is left to fall behind.

While parents are clear that they - not Government - are responsible for bringing up their children, they have also told us that they want more information and support in bringing up their children in today's world. Labour will do more to back parents and families. To help parents improve their children's school attendance and behaviour we have provided 1,200 schools with access to Parent Support Advisers. As part of the Children's Plan, we will expand school-based Parent Support Advisers and we will fund two parenting advisers in every local authority.

"Most parents lose engagement at secondary level, so it's important to establish that parents are part of a 'team' with the school and their children." LGA Labour Group

Labour wants a new relationship between parents and schools. We want parents to be contacted by a staff member at the secondary school their child is due to attend. Parents should be able to go to information sessions at the new school and have regular and up to date information on their child's attendance, behaviour and progress. We want every child to have a personal tutor who knows them, and acts as a main contact for parents. We will use Parent Councils to ensure that parents' voices are heard within the school.

Labour will offer a range of assistance to meet the needs of all families, including piloting a telephone-based support service. We will also strengthen intensive support for the most at risk families.

Labour has already lifted 600,000 children out of relative poverty. Our commitment remains to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

Measures to eradicate child poverty are examined in detail in the prosperity and work policy document.

Sure Start Children's Centres for families

Labour has radically transformed early years education in this country. In 1997 there were no guaranteed free nursery places or Sure Start Children's Centres. Today, there are over 2,500 Sure Start Children's Centres providing childcare, healthcare, early years education and family support to one million children and their families.

Labour will continue to support families through Children's Centres. In 2008, we will open 600 more Sure Start Children's Centres. By 2010 there will be 3,500 Children's Centres, one in every community in England.

To ensure we reach the most vulnerable families, we will provide two additional outreach workers at 1,500 Sure Start Children's Centres in the most deprived areas. It is vital that we provide the right intervention in the earliest years to ensure that children from vulnerable families can enjoy a happy and healthy up bringing. We should consider the best strategies to support families at risk.

Labour recognises that by backing families in the early years of a child's life, we can help every child realise their potential. A recent independent evaluation report of Sure Start found that children behave better if they live in areas with Sure Start Children's Centres.

"We should emphasise the great success of children's centres, with their coordinated services of health clinics, of Sure Start, of housing support and of Connexions." Bexleyheath & Crayford CLP

Children and young people's workforce

To help ensure that the whole children and young people's workforce is of the highest quality, Labour published the "Building Brighter Futures: next steps for the Children's Workforce" strategy. Our aim is that people working with children and young people should feel valued and respected. Their efforts and commitment can help unlock the talent and promote the happiness of all children and young people. For this reason, we will invest in the play workforce and we will aim to develop an early years graduate professional qualification. We will also further support and develop the youth workforce.

We will launch an Expert Group on the children's workforce which will bring together champions from different parts of the workforce including unions, representative organisations and people who provide frontline services. To support the most vulnerable children, we will improve training and recruitment of social workers

We will make teaching a Masters-level profession, with all new teachers able to study for a Masters-level qualification through a focus on continued professional development. We want all members of the school workforce to contribute to a word-class education system. We will continue to develop the role of leadership in schools. We will improve progression and consistency in terms and conditions for support staff, through their new negotiating body.

Supporting hard-working families

The Labour Government supports hard-working families with childcare, whatever their shape or size. Flexible and affordable childcare is essential if working parents are to meet the demands of work and family life. That's why Labour has invested in free nursery places, extended schools and there are now more holiday clubs than ever before.

Today, every three and four year old has the right to a free nursery place. We will extend nursery provision from 12.5 hours a week to 15 hours by 2010. And because good nursery education can raise the potential of children and their families, particularly for the most disadvantaged children, we are extending free nursery places to 20,000 two year olds in the most deprived communities.

To help parents of older children, Labour is offering extended school services, such as breakfast clubs and after school activities, to families with children in primary or secondary schools. Over one in three schools, 10,000 across the country, already offer extended services from 8am to 6pm during term time, helping families juggle work and home life. Labour wants every school to be an extended school by 2010. We will also ensure that children from poorer backgrounds are able to benefit from two hours per week of extra out-of-hours tuition, after-school clubs and activities in the holidays.

"Usdaw very much welcomes the priority given by the Labour government to support and help for families and particularly the investment made to date in helping provide free childcare." Usdaw

Labour is also supporting hard-working families with the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit. It provides help with childcare covering up to 80 per cent of childcare costs - up to a maximum of £300 per week (£175 per week for one child).

Measures to support families financially are examined in detail in the work and prosperity policy document.

Promoting children's play

Getting outdoors and having the opportunity to play is vital to a child's development. Families want better play areas for their children to play safely. Labour will rebuild or renew 3,500 play areas and make them accessible to children with disabilities. Additionally, we will open 30 new adventure playgrounds for eight to 13 year-olds supervised by trained staff.

Keeping children and young people safe from harm is our top priority and Labour's Children's Plan considers how we can safeguard the young and vulnerable - and help parents strike the right balance between keeping children safe and allowing them the freedom they need to explore the world. To help children and young people make the most of the internet and video games, while protecting them from harmful and inappropriate material, we are implementing the recommendations of the Byron Review.

Success for every child

Every child with special education needs (SEN) should get a high quality education that meets their needs. Labour is committed to ensuring that children with SEN get the opportunity to fulfill their potential, whether at a mainstream or special school.

To improve the educational outcomes of children with SEN we will improve workforce knowledge and skills of SEN and disability; develop better data on how well children with SEN are progressing and strengthen the position of SEN coordinators in schools. The Lamb inquiry is investigating how we can increase parent confidence in assessment for SEN provision and we will ask Ofsted to undertake a full review into the quality of SEN provision.

We recognise the need to identify and support children with dyslexia. So we will pilot specialist dyslexia tuition and additional support for children identified as requiring extra help.

Labour wants all families to feel supported in raising their children, including those with disabled children. We will invest in services to transform provision for disabled children. We will extend the Family Fund which supports the families of disabled children by offering support up to age 18. We are creating a new duty on local authorities to help parents caring for disabled children by giving them breaks from their caring responsibilities.

"EDCM welcomes the government's commitment to transforming services and support for families with disabled children," Every Disabled Child Matters

We are also determined to improve the life chances of children in care. Labour will give children in care greater stability and more support in the transition to adulthood. We will ensure that a child's education is not disrupted by unnecessary change of placement; give children in care the option to stay on in care or with their foster carers after the age of 16; and offer young people a personal adviser up to the age of 25. All schools will have a teacher designated to helping children in care achieve their full potential.

Positive activities for young people Labour's Ten Year Youth Strategy published in 2007 recognises the need to give young people more things to do and places to go in their local areas. Labour will provide new and improved youth facilities in communities across the country. We want young people to have a say in the design, development and running of the new facilities - whether it's a youth club, skate park or sports centre.

To help young people develop their sense of citizenship and build links with the local community, we will enable young people to have more of a say over local services. In the coming years, we will give young people direct influence over an increasing proportion of local authority funding for positive activities. So that young people have influence over at least 25 per cent of the funding for positive activities by 2018.

Labour remains committed to tackling and preventing the anti-social behaviour caused by a minority of young people. Building on the successful work of the Respect Taskforce, the Youth Taskforce Action Plan will tackle the underlying causes of anti-social behaviour. Over £218 million will be invested in communities and our approach will be based on tough enforcement, non-negotiable help to get young people back on track and early intervention and prevention to nip problems in the bud.

Measures to reduce anti-social behaviour by young people are examined in detail in the crime, justice, citizenship and equalities policy document.

World-class education for all

Labour wants a world-class education for all, and not just a privileged few. We want to give every young person the chance to unlock their talents, so that no young person is held back because of poverty or disadvantage. To achieve this we need to drive forward our commitment to excellence for all.

We have always made education a priority. Since 1997 we have almost doubled in real terms the amount spent per pupil from less than £2,900 to over £5,400 today. Investment in education has substantially increased from £29 billion to £64 billion - and this will rise further to £75 billion in 2010/11.

Highest standards in primary schools

Labour is proud that today more primary school children than ever before are achieving the levels expected for their age in English, Maths and Science. In 1997, a third of 11 year olds left primary school unable to read and write to the expected standard. Today, 100,000 more 11 year olds are mastering the basics in reading, writing and numeracy. The number of pupils reaching the expected standard is up to 80 per cent in English; up to 77 per cent in Maths and 88 per cent in Science.

Despite the progress in raising the numbers of children mastering the basics, Labour recognises that more needs to be done to ensure that every child is able to reach their potential. That's why we are committed to redoubling our efforts to help the one in five 11 years olds that are falling behind their peers.

With early intervention through more one-to-one tuition and catch-up support for primary school children, we can ensure that every child makes good progress. Labour has invested £144 million in the Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts scheme which supports children aged seven with difficulties in literacy and numeracy using highly trained teachers to teach children on a one-to-one or small group basis for around 12 weeks.

For 30,000 seven-year-olds who need help with numeracy and 30,000 six-year-olds who have difficulty reading we will provide intensive one-to-one tuition. In addition, we will offer intensive one-to-one coaching for children who find writing hard to master.

"Students struggling to learn need small group teaching, one to one experience and genuine 'personalised learning' in which their voice can be heard and their talents and imagination recognised." Socialist Education Association

Every Child Making Good Progress

Labour wants every child to make good progress at school and reach their full potential. That's why we will do more to tackle barriers to learning and focus on the individual needs of every child. As well as catch up support in primary schools, we will provide one-to-one teacher-led tuition for over 300,000 pupils a year in English and 300,000 pupils a year in Maths in secondary schools.

Sir Jim Rose, former Deputy Chief Inspector of Schools, is conducting a root and branch review of the primary curriculum. The Review will consider ways to ensure that pupils have more time for the basics, along with flexibility for other subjects including a modern foreign language and a smoother transition from the early years into primary school.

The Rose Review has so far confirmed that with systematic phonics teaching most children should be well on the way to being independent readers by the end of Year 2. We are therefore taking forward the use of systematic phonics teaching in all primary schools.

We will also look closely at the current pilots for 'stage not age' tests which children take when they are ready. The tests are designed to motivate pupils and teachers by focusing them on achieving the next step in their learning throughout the Key Stage, rather than just at the end point. If current trials prove successful we will replace Key Stage tests at ages 11 and 14.

To raise standards across all schools, we have used and will continue to use targets and league tables to ensure excellence for all. In those schools where both pupils and staff achieve a high standard of education, we should consider giving staff greater flexibility over teaching and the curriculum.

Finding talent

Some parents are able to provide their children with a rich variety of activities outside of school. Our challenge must be to ensure that these opportunities become the norm for all children, not the exception.

We have made significant investment in school music and foreign languages in primary schools. From 2010 every pupil between the ages of seven and 11 will be offered the opportunity to learn a foreign language. Learning foreign languages can give a child an insight into a different country and culture, and can help foster an understanding of the world.

Building on the success of creative partnerships, Labour has also invested in a new £25 million 'Find Your Talent' scheme to give young people in England the chance to experience high quality arts and culture. The 'Find Your Talent' programme will be piloted in ten areas around the country and will develop in time to become five hours of arts and culture a week. It will give young people the chance to discover their talents with activities including the the chance to perform on stage, get hands-on experience of the creative industries and produce creative writing.

We will also make sure our brightest children are stretched through the gifted and talented programme.

Raising standards in secondary schools

Our firm belief is that every young person has a talent and everyone should have the opportunity to use that talent. To give every young person an equal chance to succeed, we must make sure that every young person receives a world-class education.

Today, young people are achieving some of the best ever results at 14, 16 and 18. The proportion of young people achieving five or more good GCSEs is up 16 per cent since 1997. In 2007, Labour saw 400,000 young people gain five or more good GCSEs.

But our ambitions cannot stop here. We must close the gap in attainment between disadvantaged young people and their peers and raise the aspirations of all young people. To meet this inspiring aim, Labour has launched the National Challenge which sets out our ambition for no school to have fewer than 30 per cent of its pupils achieving 5 A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and Maths by 2011.

Backed up by a £200 million package of investment, the National Challenge will build on the lessons learnt from the successful London Challenge, which with targeted support raised the number of young people gaining five or more GCSEs in London's schools by 10 per cent over the last four years.

The National Challenge will empower more of the best head teachers to help turn around schools which are 'stuck' in patterns of low attainment. Where schools are letting children down year after year, we will expect local authorities to use the new powers available to them to tackle failure and drive up standards. This may mean creating new trusts or federations based on successful schools - whereby successful schools collaborate or merge with weaker schools. It could lead to innovative new types of schools, like the first ever Co-operative Trust school in Reddish or the first parent-promoted school in Lambeth.

Labour remains committed to offering a diverse range of schools for parents - and we want to improve choice for parents by making sure every school is a good school. That's why we have cut the number of schools where less than 30 per cent of pupils achieve five or more GCSEs from 1,610 - more than half of secondary schools in 1997 to 638 today. We will continue to work with schools to provide a world-class education for all.

Trust schools, Specialist schools and Academies have shown that by working in partnership with local businesses, community organisations and education providers we can raise standards. That's why we want every secondary school to be a Specialist school, increasing the numbers of Trust schools and Academies, with a business or university partner for each one of them.

In submissions to the consultation, Labour members have expressed different opinions about the existence of a diverse range of schools in the education system. Some submissions have expressed concern about Academies and faith schools, whilst others have focused on the success of Academies in deprived areas. But members agree that we need to raise the aspirations of young people, especially those from low aspirational families and communities.

We are ensuring that all schools practice fair admissions. The new tough Admissions Code, which applies to all schools, outlaws unacceptable practices such as interviewing and all covert means of selecting children. Labour firmly believes that breaches of the Code are serious matters and we are taking action to ensure all local authorities and admission authorities act in accordance with the Code. Additionally, we have placed a duty on all schools, faith and non-faith, to promote community cohesion.

We want every university to sponsor an Academy or Trust school. Universities, high performing colleges and schools have now been exempted from the requirement to provide £2 million sponsorship for an Academy. As a result over 20 universities are already involved in sponsoring Academies. Furthermore, we have placed a duty on all Academies to collaborate with all other schools in their area on exclusions and behaviour issues.

Unlocking the talents of young people: 14 to 19 education

Our task in Government is to help break down the barriers that hold young people back from making the most of their talents. By the end of the next decade, Labour wants all young people to stay on in education or training to 18 and beyond, so that every young person is equipped with the skills and knowledge to succeed in a high skills economy.

Labour is making the greatest change to education in half a century. By 2013 we will guarantee every young person up to the age of 17 the opportunity to do an apprenticeship, training or study at school or college. By 2015, this will rise to all young people up to the age of 18.

If all young people are to actively participate in education or training until 18, we need to provide a choice of options which can motivate all young people and help them progress into further learning and employment. That's why we will transfer £7 billion to local authorities to help colleges and sixth forms deliver the reforms needed to raise the education and training leaving age to 18.

"We applaud the decision to raise the age for the end of compulsory education. It is part of a package to improve the skills base in Britain." Sleaford and North Hykeham CLP

We recognise the need for more vocational opportunities for young people, such as apprenticeships and work-based learning. Diplomas and apprenticeships will go a long way in increasing the vocational choices for young people.

Within the next ten years we want one in five young people to be taking up apprenticeship places. In order to fulfil our ambition for young people, we will increase the number of 16-18 apprenticeships by 90,000 by 2013, to ensure there is a place for every suitably qualified young person who wants one.

Apprenticeships are considered in more detail later in this document.

Diplomas will transform the way young people gain skills and qualifications, providing real opportunities for combining academic and practical options from the age of 14. Diplomas will be offered in subjects including IT, engineering and construction as well as science, languages and the humanities. Two thirds of all secondary schools and three quarters of colleges in England have applied to offer Diplomas from September 2009.

Diplomas will remove the old two tier divide where academic qualifications were seen as 'excellent' and vocational learning as 'second class'. With the support of universities and employers, diplomas can bridge this divide and could become the qualification of choice over the next decade. The first five Diplomas were developed in partnership with 500 employers including Vodafone, Microsoft and Rolls Royce.

Leading universities have also signalled that they will accept Diploma students onto the most rigorous courses. By 2011 we will introduce the Extended Diploma which will offer a greater range of achievement and give young people more opportunities to add depth and breadth to their studies.

Young people will also able to choose to do A-levels and GCSEs alongside Diplomas. A review will be held in 2013 to assess the reforms to 14 to 19 education and training.

Discipline in schools

"Schools need to prioritise creating a learning environment where disruption is tackled; this requires the support of parents and Government." South Gloucestershire CLP

Labour recognises that it is important that every classroom creates an environment that supports effective teaching and learning. We firmly believe that the learning experiences of most young people should not be disrupted by a minority. That's why we have introduced tough measures for teachers and headteachers to enforce discipline in schools. Schools can permanently exclude disruptive or violent pupils; confiscate items from pupils; impose discipline beyond the school site, for example for bad behaviour on the journey to and from school and use physical force to restrain unruly pupils. We now need to work with the school workforce to help them confidently use these new legal powers.

For those young people excluded from school, we will take action to improve support they receive rather than leaving them with nothing to do. Excluded pupils often include young people with poor prospects for success in later life. We want to see a transformation in the quality of alternative provision, including more voluntary and private sector provision such as high quality vocational training and studio schools. We will also ask local authorities to collect and publish performance data for pupils not on a school roll to ensure local areas have incentives to improve their performance.

We remain firm in our belief that bullying of any kind is unacceptable. That's why we have given schools up to date anti-bullying guidance - including specific guidance on tackling homophobic bullying - to make sure that they can adopt tougher action against bullies. In response to concerns over cyber-bullying towards both pupils and staff, we have launched an online anti-cyberbullying campaign and issued new guidance.

Schools for the future

Ten years ago our young people were being taught in crumbling schools with leaking roofs, broken windows and outdated equipment. Ten years on, Labour is transforming the schools in which our young people learn. We are committed to rebuilding or refurbishing every secondary school and half of all primary schools over the coming years.

Labour will substantially increase investment in school capital from £700 million in 1997 to £8 billion by 2010. Over 1,100 new schools have been built or rebuilt with more to follow, as well as 27,000 new and improved classrooms.

It is only right that Labour in government plays our part to reduce carbon emissions alongside the work of families and businesses. Schools contribute to 15 per cent of the public sector's carbon footprint. We have set an ambition for all new school buildings to be zero carbon by 2016. We are appointing a taskforce to advise on how to achieve zero carbon schools, whether the timescale is realistic and how to reduce carbon emissions in the intervening period.

Healthy children and healthy schools Encouraging young people to take up sports will not only provide positive activities for them but help reduce obesity occurrences amongst young people. Over the last five years £2.4 billion has been invested in school sports. Eighty-six per cent of pupils now do two or more hours of high quality school sport and PE a week. We are working towards all young people being offered an extra three hours a week - a total of five hours inside and outside of school.

"Team games and activities such as cricket, football, drama etc should be encouraged to promote a sense of 'community' which will help to militate against anti-social behaviour." Haltemprice & Howden CLP

To further encourage competitive sports for young people and children, Labour has launched a National School Sport Week championed by Olympic medalist Dame Kelly Holmes. It will encourage all schools to run sports days and inter-school tournaments. We will also deliver more expert sports coaches in schools and the community, in addition to setting up a network of 225 competition managers across the country to work with primary and secondary schools to increase the amount of competitive sport they offer.

Labour has taken action to protect school playing fields. Since 1998, all local authorities and maintained schools in England have needed the consent of the Secretary of State before they can dispose of a school playing field or any part of a school playing field. Under the Tories there were no checks in the system to prevent the sale of school playing fields; as a result many thousands of playing fields were sold off.

Along with encouraging young people to become more active, we want them to be aware of eating healthily too. That's why for the first time ever, from 2011, every 11 to 14-year-old will be given, hands-on cooking lessons in how to make cheap, healthy dishes from simple, fresh ingredients.

To promote healthy eating amongst young people, we have banned the sale of fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate and other confectioneries in schools. And most four to six years olds receive a free piece of fruit at school each day. We are also investing to improve the quality of school meals and taking action to increase take-up of free school meals.

World-class skills

Britain can only succeed in a rapidly changing world if we develop the skills of our people, carry out world class research and scholarship, and apply both knowledge and skills to create an innovative and competitive economy. So that every opportunity is unlocked, Labour has brought these three essential policy areas together in the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Since 1997 we have made much progress on the skills level of our nation; we have a higher education sector that is the envy of much of the world and 1.7 million more adults have gained literacy and numeracy qualifications. But there is still a huge challenge ahead; by 2020 there will be very few low skilled jobs. We must give people with low skills the opportunities to keep apace of the changing world, so that no person is left behind.

To ensure that the UK is in the premier league for skills by 2020 we want:

• Ninety-five per cent of adults to achieve functional literacy and numeracy - 1.1 million more people with better basic skills over the next three years.
• More than 90 per cent of adults to be qualified to at least level 2 - nearly one and a half million more adults achieving the equivalent of 5 good GCSEs for the first time over the next three years.
• More than 40 per cent of adults qualified to level 4 and above - over 1.25 million people of all ages having the opportunity to go to university over the next three years.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills will report to Government in 2010 on whether a statutory entitlement on training is appropriate, and whether further institutional change is required to deliver a better integrated employment and skills service.

Adult skills

We recognise the profound impact poor basic skills can have on an individual, their family, and the wider economy. Adults with poor basic skills not only have severely reduced chances of finding and staying in work but they are also less likely to be able to provide either financial security or opportunity for their children. That is why, for the first time, we will give every adult the legal right to learn basic skills and skills equivalent to 5 good GCSEs, free of charge. We will give young people up to the age of 25 the right to training for their first level 3 - equivalent to A Levels, free of charge, and we will invest in adult apprenticeships.

Labour is reforming the training system to be more demand-led, so the needs of both people and employers drive what is available in colleges and training providers. Working with employers through Labour's Train to Gain scheme, we will expand the prospects of low-skilled employees. Train to Gain is a premium service providing impartial advice to employers and training tailored to meet their requirements. It enables employers, backed by public money, to get the training they need, delivered in ways that suit them. In the last year, Train to Gain has engaged over 52,000 employers, helping nearly a quarter of a million workers improve their skills. We will increase the Train to Gain budget to help more adults develop their skills.

Labour's Skills Pledge is a voluntary commitment from employers to support all their employees to improve their skills and gain qualifications. Over 550 employers have signed it, covering over 3 million employees. We are encouraging employers of all sizes to sign it and want employers - especially in the public sector - to insist their suppliers sign the Skills Pledge to make more training opportunities available throughout the workforce.

"All public organisations, and those in receipt of public contracts should sign the skills pledge." Unison Labour Link

We will introduce Skills Accounts so that adults have more control of what, where and when to study. Eligible benefits claimants will have greater opporunity to access training that will support their return to work. Labour understands that it can be hard to move from a low paid, low skilled job to a higher paid, higher skilled job. So we are creating a new adult careers and advancement service to offer advice to individuals attempting to improve their career prospects.

Labour has introduded Local Employment Partnerships, which ensure that support for long- term unemployed people and other priority groups prepares them for the world of work, providing them with the skills and motivation they need to meet employers' expectations.

Labour now invests over £18 million each year in union learning. The trade union learning fund has supported over 450 skills training projects in over 3,000 workplaces helping 67,000 workers. Today, 18,000 union learning reps in over 6,000 workplaces have been trained and are supporting fellow workers to change their lives by getting new skills. Supported by the Government, the trade union learning fund aims to train 22,000 learning reps by 2010, along with training 250,000 learners each year through the union route.

Our investment in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) nearly trebled between 2001 and 2004. We are retargeting ESOL provision so that promoting community cohesion is given the highest priority in decisions on funding This will mean retargeting spending towards those who have made a long-term commitment to live in Britain, rather than economic migrants who plan to stay only a short time. At the same time Labour has launched a suite of ESOL at Work courses to support those in the workplace.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships have been one of the real success stories of the last decade. Since 1997, Labour has more than doubled the number of apprentices in England to 180,000. Completion rates have more than doubled in the last 5 years, up to 63 per cent today and there was a 300 per cent increase in the number of people completing apprenticeships in 2006/07 compared to 2001/02.

"We need to be thinking about how we can raise aspirations for some of our children and apprenticeships are a good way into meaningful employment." Rotherham CLP

Members have welcomed the increase in apprenticeships. But we need to go further to ensure apprenticeships become a natural and equal alternative to an academic route into a career, open to both young people and adults.

Our ambition is for employers to offer over 500,000 high quality apprenticeships across the UK by 2020, so that at least one in five young people are able to take up an apprenticeship. And for the first time ever, funding will be targeted specifically at expanding apprenticeships for adults aged over 25.

Further education colleges

Labour recognises that world class skills cannot be delivered without the vital role further education colleges play. Colleges provide access to skills and training for full-time or part- time learners, they will have an increasingly important role in education and training as we lift the education and training age.

Ten years ago our further education buildings were crumbling. Labour will rebuild 150 college sites throughout England over the next three years. These colleges will meet the highest environmental standards, as we work towards our low carbon targets. We will also require the companies who design, build and fit out our colleges to provide high quality training in the process, creating thousands of apprenticeships and other training opportunities for local people.

Higher education

Britain has a world class higher education system. Public spending on higher education will have increased by 30 per cent by 2010/11. More young people are attending university than ever before and the number of applicants from lower socio-economic groups has risen. But there is still progress to make. We will encourage more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend university.

Having already abolished upfront tuition fees, Labour has improved the financial support package available for students. From next year, two thirds of eligible new undergraduates will be entitled to a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to £2,835 a year. That means 100,000 extra students a year will benefit from some level of grant support while they are at university. Furthermore, graduates in the future will have greater flexibility in repaying their loans, with the option of up to a five year break.

To raise the aspirations of all young people, Labour will offer all new 16 year olds who qualify for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) a clear guarantee of the minimum level of maintenance grant and loan they will receive if they progress to higher education. Over 527,000 young people benefitted from the EMA in 2006/07. The EMA has succeeded in increasing the number of young people staying on in learning at 16 and the number of learners achieving qualifications at 19. Figures from 2005/06 saw the highest proportion of 16 year olds in learning since 1994 - 1.5 million young people in further education. Whilst it is not possible to say that the increase is entirely attributable to the EMA, it has been one of Labour's most important initiatives aimed at increasing participation.

We should consider ways to improve the information, advice and guidance young people receive, we know that young people form their ambitions at an early age. That is why we are encouraging universities to build long term links with schools and colleges, by sponsoring Trusts or Academies. These relationships will drive up standards across the board, raise aspirations of teachers, pupils and parents and encourage young people from less priviledged backgrounds to move onto higher education.

Labour has also launched the new "University Challenge" to encourage communities to come together to bid for a university centre or campus by showing they will make the most of the power of higher education. In the next six years, we expect to have 20 more university campuses or centres opened or agreed, this expansion could provide study places for up to 10,000 students.

Science and innovation

We are proud of our performance in science and technological innovation. The UK is now only second in the world for scientific expertise. We have doubled the science budget over the past ten years from £1.3 billion in 1997 to £3.4 billion today. This has enabled us to attract inward investment from international businesses like Boeing, Pfizer and Microsoft.

Our strong history of invention provides us with a springboard to do more. Labour is determined to invest further in science and research. We want to help establish and support the conditions in which knowledge and research thrive, so that the UK becomes the best place in the world to run an innovative business.

Labour wants to help shape the society - and the world - in which we live. That's why we are investing in science and research to establish the UK as a global leader in tackling some of the greatest challenges facing the world. Our Energies Technologies Institute, with over £1billion of public and private investment, will help us understand climate change and develop solutions to underpin a low carbon economy. We are investing millions each year in finding cures for disease and developing new treatments. Labour is committed to the creation of a new £500 million Medical Research Centre in Kings Cross together with investment from the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research and University College London.

We will do more to bring universities together with employers to create world leading businesses and public services. We will increase the Higher Education Innovation Fund, so that universities can work with business and commercialise research. We will introduce Innovation Vouchers so that more businesses are able to buy research, consultancy and training from colleges and universities. We will double the size of the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships scheme. We have established the Technology Strategy Board to work alongside Research Councils to translate research results into business opportunities. We will also use Government procurement - with over £150 billion spent each year - to drive better conditions for innovation and job creation.

"Make science a priority in schools." Scientists for Labour

In a global climate where our competitive advantage will depend increasingly on innovation and science, we must also continue to increase the supply of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills. The number of STEM graduates, and A Level take up is increasing. We will support professional development of science teachers in all secondary schools. We have also established a network of over 18,000 Science and Engineering Ambassadors: young professionals who share their enthusiasm for science and engineering to inspire young people.