Careers advice for seven-year-olds

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Under plans drawn up by Schools Secretary Ed Balls, primaries will offer career-related learning, as well as opportunities to experience university life and the world of work, to children aged 7-11.

Mr Balls also outlined an ambition to provide careers advice through to the age of 18, as well as giving every young person access to a mentor who can guide them through the process of preparing for adult life.

Launching the new scheme alongside Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Mr Balls will say that a "radical change" is needed in careers advice, as it is "too late" for children to start thinking about their future at 14, when they start choosing subjects at secondary school.

He said: "I want this generation of young people to be able to look back and say their careers advice and guidance was relevant and gave them informed options."

End-of-year assemblies at primary school could be used to introduce children to career options, and universities could form links with primaries to get pupils thinking about higher education from an early age, he said.

"It is often too late for children to start thinking about this at 14 when they are influenced from when they are seven, eight and nine," said Mr Balls.

Ferguson recalled his own father's advice for him to take a tool-working apprenticeship and said it was important for teachers, parents and businesses to "spot talent early on and nurture children to achieve the best they can".

The football legend added: "Parents who want their children to be footballers know how important it is that they start playing young. But that's not just true for football - if parents want their children to be doctors or lawyers then they should make sure their children get to see something of those careers as well."

Careers advice will be made available through internet social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube and a dedicated online mentoring scheme, and a £10 million fund will support innovative careers education.