Birmingham school praised for career advice for pupils as key pledge made for more specialists

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has pledged to fund 40 full-time career advisors in schools serving the region’s most challenged communities.

Mr Street launched the pledge on Thursday while visiting Stockland Green School in Erdington, which was praised for having a “structured and engaging careers programme.”

However, the mayor continued that career advice is “still patchy in some parts of the West Midlands” despite improving in the last few years. “There are still too many young people who are not getting the right opportunities and guidance during the critical years when they are deciding what to do for work,” he said. "In a world where youngsters are getting their career advice from people like Andrew Tate on social media, having trusted local grown-ups in schools is more important than ever.”

Stockland Green School, which is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, was praised last year by Ofsted for the ‘tenacious’ approach of staff in driving up student aspiration. Mr Street said: “Stockland Green is showing how, through a structured and engaging careers programme, students from challenged communities can be inspired to understand that opportunities are there for them too.

“By funding these 40 careers advisors, I want to see this kind of success repeated across the region.” He added: “It’s dedicated individuals who really shape young people’s lives. But they need the space to get to know youngsters, and build relationships with them over time. That’s why I’m committing today to funding these extra full-time careers advisors for schools across the West Midlands.”

Mr Street’s pledge comes weeks before the mayoral election on May 2, which will see the incumbent mayor face opposition from those running for the Labour Party, Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.

The Mayor of the West Midlands represents around 2.8 million residents and is expected to seek investment and act as a champion for the region. You can find out more about the candidates and what they stand for here.