21 September 2026
Lib Dem education plan includes support to develop a personal five-year plan
At the Liberal Democrat party conference in Brighton, the Education spokesperson Munira Wilson MP set out ambitious plans to reform education and work experience.
The plans challenge the Labour commitment to introduce vocational pathways at age 14, saying it is too early for many young people to make such a career decision, and that it could lead to some young people being ‘funnelled down’ a vocational route against their interests.
Instead, the Liberal Democrats would focus on post-16 reform, introducing a post-16 baccalaureate which would evolve A Levels alongside T Levels and V Levels. They would also commit to providing all young people with 100 hours of work experience and professional enrichment by the age of 18 – an increase on the current government’s two weeks’ worth of experience.
A key element of the proposals is to overhaul what Munira Wilson called ‘job coaching’, but which sounds more like career guidance. She wants ‘personalised job support’ to help every young person work out who and what they want to be, how to achieve that and to have someone work with them to develop a five-year post-education plan.
It estimated the costs of delivering the post-16 baccalaureate and work experience at around £300m, to be funded from savings from reduced pupil numbers.
Read more about the proposed Liberal Democrat education reforms.
The plans challenge the Labour commitment to introduce vocational pathways at age 14, saying it is too early for many young people to make such a career decision, and that it could lead to some young people being ‘funnelled down’ a vocational route against their interests.
Instead, the Liberal Democrats would focus on post-16 reform, introducing a post-16 baccalaureate which would evolve A Levels alongside T Levels and V Levels. They would also commit to providing all young people with 100 hours of work experience and professional enrichment by the age of 18 – an increase on the current government’s two weeks’ worth of experience.
A key element of the proposals is to overhaul what Munira Wilson called ‘job coaching’, but which sounds more like career guidance. She wants ‘personalised job support’ to help every young person work out who and what they want to be, how to achieve that and to have someone work with them to develop a five-year post-education plan.
It estimated the costs of delivering the post-16 baccalaureate and work experience at around £300m, to be funded from savings from reduced pupil numbers.
Read more about the proposed Liberal Democrat education reforms.
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