HC Deb 26 May 2004 vol 421 cc1685-6W
Mr. Willis

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the extent to which impartial advice and guidance about learning and work is available to adults over 19 in England. [175846]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

Impartial advice about learning and work is available free of charge to all adults in England aged 20 and over through the learndirect telephone helpline and website, and through the local Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Partnerships managed by the Learning and Skills Council. Advice involves helping individuals to access and interpret information taking into account their personal needs and circumstances. Guidance, which involves helping clients to explore their options in greater depth, is not universally available free of charge. However, universities and colleges have careers services offering impartial information, advice and guidance to their students, and there are many private career consultancy firms providing guidance commercially for those people who are able and willing to pay for it.

Mr. Willis

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he plans to ensure that in all 47 learning and skills council local areas adults over 19 seeking a career change or a skills update will be able to access impartial advice and guidance informed by the changing labour markets. [175847]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

In December 2003, the Department for Education and Skills published The National Policy Framework and Action Plan for Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) for Adults. This set out a core range of information and advice services to be made available free of charge to all adults aged 20 and over. They include access for individuals to information and advice informed by labour market trends at national, regional and local levels. Individuals will access these services through an integrated IAG service linking the learndirect telephone helpline and website with the local Information, Advice and Guidance Partnerships. The integrated IAG service will be launched in August 2004.

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