Are you missing out on crucial careers advice?

Byline: ALISON KERSHAW

CAREERS advice for teenagers in school has plummeted under Labour, research suggests today.

Just over half of 15 and 16-year-olds (55%) reported having formal meetings with a careers adviser in 2008, compared to more than eight in 10 (85%) in 1997, according to an annual study commissioned by the Sutton Trust.

The researchers, at the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) at Durham University, questioned more than 18,800 teenagers at 136 schools in England.

The study suggests that thousands of pupils are leaving school without formal careers advice, forcing them to rely on informal guidance from family and friends.

The survey shows that half of those questioned (51%) said they had had more than five days work experience in 2008, compared with 69% in 1997.

But it also shows that the percentage of 15 and 16-year-olds visiting at least one university has risen, to 23% in 2008 from 11% in 1997.

The findings show that the proportion of students who say they learned "some" or "a lot" from careers advisers and teachers fell from almost half (49%) in 1997 to 25% in 2008.

The numbers saying they had received career talks dropped from 45% to 22% and work experience was also considered less important as a source of information (down to 49% from 64%).

It warns that students from poorer backgrounds may suffer more from a lack of formal guidance in school, for example, they are less likely to have parents who have been to university and can advise on the application process.

Last year a report by the Trust for the National Council for Education Excellence, (NCEE), which was established by the Prime Minister in June 2007, suggested that at least half of careers education and advice in schools was inadequate or inappropriate.

In October last year, the NCEE's report recommended that "significant" improvements were needed in the information, advice and guidance provided in secondary schools. It called for schools to appoint a senior staff member with responsibility for careers and education guidance, and for schools and universities to work closely together.

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: "The stark decline in advice and guidance in schools over the last decade indicated by these findings is a particular concern for non-privileged children - many of whom can not turn to well-informed parents or families to guide them through the choices that are so critical to future life prospects.

"No-one should underestimate the impact this is likely to have on limiting social mobility in this country.

"And the need for informed guidance is even more pressing now than ever before, given the vast array of educational options available to children and the more limited career choices during a recession."

Home is where the work is WORKERS are increasingly giving up their home lives and holidays because they don't have enough time to finish their work in the office, according to a new report today.

A survey of 2,000 adults by Post Office Home Insurance showed almost a third had worked from home in the past 18 months.

One in 10 admitted working during their holidays, showing that home and office lives were becoming "blurred", said the report. Richard Pennant-Jones, Post Office head of general insurance, said: "The way we are living and using our homes is changing. In many cases, time we would normally spend relaxing at home is now being spent working instead."