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Higher Education

My Lords, I declare my interests as chairman of the council of the Royal Veterinary College and chairman-elect of the Institute of Education. The Statement mentions Alan Milburn’s Panel on Fair Access to the Professions, of which I was a member. The noble Lord will know that the paper produced by the panel identified real problems with the careers service and the advice on careers given by teachers in schools in relation to tackling the aspiration gap. The paper made some fairly specific suggestions on what universities should do about this, but I do not think that I noticed what specific guidance was going to be given to schools and the careers service about what they should do on their part. After all, they have longer contact in terms of years with young people in which to help them to develop their aspirations. I would like an assurance from the noble Lord, because I do not think that I got it from the Statement, that these deficiencies will be addressed as vigorously as he says he will address the apparent deficiencies in the performance of the universities, although I must say that I think most universities are making every possible effort to address those.