CAREERSENTERPRISETH

E &COMPANY

An evidence-based approach to supporting schools and colleges

Louis CoiffaitHead of Research and Data

@LouisMMCoiffait

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Agenda

1. What do we mean by ‘evidence’, ‘evidence quality’ and ‘evidence-based’?

2. What current evidence shows about careers and enterprise activities

3. What are we doing to help build the evidence base?

4. Five key questions for you to ask about evidenceIf you remember one thing from my presentation…Our job is to make sure evidence is increasingly valuable to you in your role (remember it’s complexities, but never be paralysed by them)

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What do we mean by ‘evidence’?

Anything presented in support of an assertion,of varying strength, from conjecture to proof.

Typically includes research and data,both qualitative and quantitative,with the latter increasingly given precedence

Independence, experience, the views of stakeholders and professional judgement all play a role too…

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Gathering evidence, a (hypothetical) example

Make observations

Develop questions

Formulate hypotheses

Develop testable predictions

Gather data to test predictions

Develop general theories

Refine, alter, reject or expand

hypotheses

Work experience seems to help young people

Who does it help the most?

It helps those unsure about the

next step

It best helps ‘the unsure’ make

choices

Actually it seems to help other young

people too

Compare outcomes for that group with

others

Work experience helps all but esp.

‘the unsure’

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What do we mean by evidence ‘quality’?

‘5 standards of evidence’by Nesta

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What do we mean by ‘evidence-based’?

Where the best available evidence, is created, shared and used, for

better decision-making, in policy and practice.

For teachers, careers advisers, leaders, employers, and by young people.

Your role and that of EAs is to advise school/college leaders and employers,

to be ‘evidence-based’ yourself,and to encourage and guide them to be so too.

Our role is to make your job easier.

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UK governments increasingly believe we can find out ‘what works’

7 centres

Inform £200bn of spending

UK a global pioneer

Relevant

Relevant

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EEF: ‘What works’ in teaching & learning?

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Evidence can be complex/contested

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics“

Mark Twain

The challenge of ‘cause and effect’, it’s hard to know how best to improve different outcomes for each young person;

- Attainment- Progress- Destination (education, employment or training)- Earnings- Wellbeing?- Active citizens?

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Evidence can be complex/contested

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- The evidence base is growing,with some robust studies (especially in the US), and some strong findings emerging.

- For instance we know multiple, varied interactions with employers and workplaces really helps.

What evidence already shows about careers and enterprise activities

- “…young adults surveyed who recalled four or more activities while at school were five times less likely to

be NEET and earned, on average, 16% more than peers who recalled no such activities.”

Dr. Anthony Mann

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But in the UK the evidence (as with practice) is often still patchy, - is often ad-hoc rather than systematic,- and often not disseminated/taken up by busy schools

and employers(often for perfectly valid reasons)

-The result? They don’t know where best to invest scarce resources.

- We’re working on that, with the toolkit, Fund, portal and passport,

all underpinned by evidence.

- Here are a few examples of what we’re doing.

What evidence already shows about careers and enterprise activities

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Updating the Gatsby Benchmarks to help schools improve

Encounters with employers, with workplaces, with further and higher education

Information about local jobs, how the curriculum connects to work

A plan tailored to an individual’s needs and supported by guidance

All underpinned by a stable programme

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Identify local variations (Cold Spots) to help focus resources

- Evolving data/analysis- New datasets coming- At school level

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Understanding the cold spots, local context and outcomes

 

Deprivation Indicator

Employer Engagement

Indicatorsi.e. "Cold Spots"

Outcome Indicators

Source

DfE GCSE and

equivalent attainment

by pupil characteristic

s 2013/14

UKCES EPS 2014

UKCES EPS 2014

DfE Revised GCSE and

equiv results 2013/14

DfE Revised A-level and

equiv results

2013/14

DfE Revised A-level and

equiv results

(Maths and science) 2013/14

DfE Destination

s of key stage 4 pupils:

2012/13

DfE Participatio

n in education

and training:

local authority

figures June 2015

UKCES ESS 2013

UKCES ESS 2013

Indicator% Pupils

claiming free school meals (Known to be

eligible for and claiming)

% Employer establish

ments who had

anyone in on work

experience

% Employer

establishments who offered

any work inspiration

% Pupils attaining 5+ A*-C GCSEs (including English &

Maths)

% A-levels entered that are STEM

(Maths & Science

only)

% STEM A-levels that are entered

by girls (Maths & Science

only)

% In sustained

apprenticeship

destination post KS4

% 16-17 year olds recorded NEET (not

in education,

employment and

training)

% Employer

s answerin

g: 16 year old school leavers

are "poorly" or "very poorly

prepared" for work

% Employers answering

: 17-18 year olds recruited to first

time job from

school are "poorly" or

"very poorly

prepared" for work

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Different languages/timetables/working patterns

We need local brokers (you, the Enterprise Adviser network).

Our two impact tracking projects will show how the network is growing (at a granular level) and the impact it is having, to help LEPs share best practice: - Pye Tait Consulting (bottom up research with you) - Institute of Employment Studies (IES), Institute of Careers and Guidance Studies (ICeGS) at the University of Derby, and IFF research (top down research from public sources)With much more to come, including:- ‘What Works’ database- Destinations Data / informed choice- Working with partners such as the Behavioural Insights

Team, PWC, PolicyLab, the CBI, the Education and Employers Taskforce, the EEF, Group GTI and others…

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Five key questions for you to ask about evidence

1) Who can the evidence help make better decisions?e.g. a School leader

2) How ‘strong’ is the evidence?e.g. is it independently verified by a qualified third party

3) How can evidence be as useful as possible to the target decision maker?e.g. what would make it easier for them to use it

4) What are the limitations of the evidence? e.g. if asked can you explain the extent to which it can be trusted

5) What action does the evidence suggest to the decision maker? e.g. can you advise how it can be used

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Thank you,

any questions? (if there’s time)