This week MP Neil Carmichael discusses how best to improve education standards

A KEY part of the coalition government’s education strategy has been to improve standards in our schools.

Today, we have a million more pupils in good or outstanding schools – in the Valleys and Vale this means, for example, several secondary schools moving from special measures or inadequate to good or outstanding.

Another success is the 60 per cent increase of pupils taking academic GCSEs since 2010, when Labour’s Ed Balls left a deplorable situation where too many qualifications led to, quite literally, nowhere.

Thanks to the most highly qualified teaching profession ever, we are on course to ensuring every young person can leave school or college ready to fulfil their potential and succeed in life.

As always, there is more to be done. The Education Select Committee, of which I am a member, and many other structures, including OFSTED, have demanded more action to provide career advice and inspiration to young people. Here in the Valleys and Vale, the Festival of Manufacturing and Engineering (Festomane) has already been playing a big part in showcasing the opportunities in local firms and helping business to engage with education. This is why I established it.

This type of activity is critically important if we are to steer young people towards successful careers in a vital part of our real economy.

Festomane is an example of good practice, but this sort of approach needs to be replicated more widely and across more sectors.

To this end and because of the determined campaigning to see it happen, the coalition government has now launched a new careers and enterprise company for schools. The principal task of the company will be to support much greater engagement between employers and education.

It will ensure that young people get the inspiration and guidance they need to leave school or college ready to succeed in a career they find exciting and are prepared for.

One innovation is the “Enterprise Passport” to incentivise young people’s participation in a wide range of extra-curricular activities to boost their appeal to employers.

Festomane has paved the way and will be an example to follow.