CAREERS AND CONNEXIONS SERVICES

That this House is aware of the UK'scurrent fiscal problems which are inevitably leading to higher levels of unemployment and ultimately poor health, higher crime and social breakdown within communities; notes that at this time unemployment amongst 16 to 25 year olds in the UK has reached record levels with more than a million young people struggling to find work; is therefore alarmed that when help is needed to reverse this trend, hundreds of thousands of young people across the UK have either very limited or no access to face-to-face career guidance, a situation caused directly by the Government's decision to place the statutory duty to ensure impartial careers guidance on schools, who have been given no additional funds to deliver such important services; and calls on the Government to reverse its policy and instead to provide sufficient funding to the Careers and Connexions Service to help our young people plan and organise their futures.