The New Opportunities White Paper published this week, contains the Government's response aimed at reducing the impact of the current global financial crisis by continuing to focus on meeting the long-term challenges on which future prosperity depends.
The White Paper sets out a clear strategy of how Government intends to work with people, families, communities and business to give the UK the right opportunities for future success. The policies in the White Paper amount to a significant investment in the country's future and will have a major impact on individual prospects for success. They build on existing policies and initiatives to address and overcome specific barriers to realising people's potential.
Core themes of the measures contained within it are:
- support for child development in the early years which have a profound impact on later life chances;
- success in schools as educational attainment at 16 remains the single most important childhood guide to future social mobility;
- support during the critical transition years from compulsory education through further and higher education and into work; and
- opportunities to get on in work throughout people's lives, ensuring they have continuing chances to fulfil their potential.
Minister for the South West, Ben Bradshaw, said:
"As an open economy and a nation with strong cultural and personal links across the globe, the UK is ideally positioned to make the most of new international opportunities and markets opening up. This Government has already dramatically increased investment in education and our science base and in improving our infrastructure here in the South West. But there is more to do.
"The Government has already put in place solid foundations over the last decade. Provision for pre-school children has been transformed with increased resources for support for families through Children's Centres."
