When the report by the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions entitled ’Unleashing Aspiration” was published last month, it was both a validation of what the Labour government has already achieved in helping young people to reach their full potential, but also a clear warning that there is still much to be done to allow all young people regardless of class, race, gender, or disability to fulfill their full economic potential in life.

Since 1997, the Labour government’s New Deal has had a significant impact on getting young people who have been in long-term unemployment back to work. More recently, the government has successfully tackled rising unemployment as a result of the recent recession with the Future Jobs Fund. Young people in schools now have access to information about high-quality vocational training opportunities, through the formation of the National Apprenticeship Service, and will further benefit through the creation of 17 new specialised vocational diplomas. Finally, schemes like AimHigher have seen access to higher education for young people who don’t come from traditional academic backgrounds rise, making the government’s target of 50% of 18 year olds attending higher education by 2010, achievable.

However, the findings and proposals outlined in ’Unleashing Aspiration‘ highlight the social and economic barriers that many young people continue to face in achieving their full potential. Access to society’s top jobs and professions has become less, not more, socially representative over time with 75% of judges, 70% of finance directors, 45% of top civil servants, and 32% of MPs from independent school backgrounds. This comes at a time when our economy will become more dependent on professional and knowledge based professions.

The report calls for a unified learner offer which tracks the individual’s education, through school, sixth-form, university and into the world of work. For too long our education system has been disjointed, particularly around the ages of 16 and 18, when most go into work-based learning or university. Currently there is also no cross-over from a vocational route into an academic one, and the report very sensibly recommends the government incorporates the apprenticeships frameworks into the UCAS points system by 2010. The report also proposes an effective system of information, advice, and guidance (IAG), where appropriate educational and career choices are provided to young people.

However, the suggested abolishment of Connexions as a service, to be replaced by schools and colleges commissioning their own IAG, overlooks the role of local authorities who from next year will have the power to commission 16-18 learning courses in schools and colleges. Local authorities are in the best position to commission IAG that will ensure that they reach both those in the education system but also those who have dropped out who will only be reached in an out of school setting like their local youth service.

Finally we welcome the radical proposals from the report to open up the intake of the so-called elite professions. Embedding social mobility through a fair access agenda into the strategic plans of the professional regulators will help to ensure that the industries will strive towards broader social inclusion.

We would recommend that the government sets out a bill in its Queen’s speech that will look to implement most of the recommendations. In particular, they must ensure that schools, colleges, universities and employers work together in a coordinated way to provide a proper learner offer for young people, though improving the Information, Advice and Guidance system. In terms of widening access among the elite professions to recruits from all social backgrounds, we urge the government to work with the professional bodies in ensuring a self-regulatory framework setting out a fair access policy backed up by a Labour election manifesto commitment on making this a statutory duty.

This will ensure that as a Labour government we genuinely uphold our commitment to ensure that everyone can realise their full potential. This will put power, wealth and opportunity in the hands of the many and not the few.