Careers Education and Guidance in Schools: making the current policy work for young people

Careers Live, Aspire-i

Thursday 31 January 2013

David Andrews

Students’ CEIAG support needs Careers Information

on post-13/14 (KS4) options, post-16 options, post-17 and post-18 options

on progression routes comprehensive, up to date, accessible

Careers Advice & Guidance linked to tutoring and mentoring effective recording and referral impartial

(based on the needs of the learner, not the institution) Careers education

how to use information and guidance career management skills employability skills

The partnership approach (1973 - )Schools careers information careers education initial advice and guidance, and referrals to

external careers guidance service

External careers guidance service careers guidance:

in context of IAG on wider range of wellbeing matters

support for careers information support for careers education

National Careers Service(launched 5 April 2012)

For adults (BIS) - £84.4M in 2012-13 online and telephone helpline services face-to-face careers guidance

(free to priority groups)

For young people (DfE) - £4.7M in 2012-13 online and telephone helpline services

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk 0800 100 900

[face-to-face careers guidance services on the open market, if the local provider decides to offer such services to schools]

Education Act 2011: CEG From September 2012 schools have a new statutory duty

to secure access to independent careers guidance for pupils in Years 9-11 (which will be extended down to Y8 and up to age 18 in schools and colleges from September 2013)

‘careers guidance’ must be presented as impartial, include information on all options in 16-18 learning, and promote the best interests of the pupils

‘independent’ is defined as provided by persons other than those employed at/by the school

[the duty applies to academies and free schools through their funding agreements]

The statutory duty to teach careers education has been repealed

From September 2012

Decisions about the careers education, and careers guidance, young people receive will be made by schools

There is a range of providers of careers guidance (local authority services, private providers, individuals, etc.)

LAs retain responsibility for the targeted support for the more vulnerable young people, including those who are NEET and those with SEN/LDD (e.g. Section 139a assessments)

Careers education and work-related learning, including enterprise: school autonomy

Schools were already free to determine: the amount of time allocated what was taught how it was taught where in the curriculum it was taughtThe only additional freedom that repealing

the statutory duties gives schools is the freedom to drop these areas from the curriculum

Careers education and work-related learning, including enterprise: schools’ responsibilities

equipping young people to make effective use of information, advice and guidance

making cost-effective use of the career guidance that schools will have to pay for in the future

developing young people’s career management and employability skills

ACEG Framework for careers and work-related education 7-19

Local quality awards and the Quality in Careers standard

Work-related learning

“blanket work experience for all pupils at KS4 has served its time” Wolf Report, 2011

Work experience is not the same as work-related learning and enterprise

All pupils should learn about the world of work and develop skills for work

All pupils, or students, should have experience of the world of work, at a point in their 14-18 studies that is relevant to their particular programme of learning

school - external guidance service partnership

Careers Service service level agreements

Connexions partnership agreements

School-commissioned contracts with providers of careers guidance

Careers guidance from 2012: schools doing it themselves

employing a professionally qualified careers adviser

training a teacher or member of the non-teaching staff to provide career guidance

giving the job to someone not qualified or trained

“It will not be sufficient for schools to employ their own careers professional … and then rely on signposting to a website …”John Hayes, Minister for FE, Skills and Lifelong LearningMarch 2012

Careers guidance from 2012: schools buying in careers guidance

from the [a] local authority from a careers guidance company from a sole trader/individual CA from a social enterprise formed by several CAs from an EBP from an FE college student services department from a local partnership of schools + sixth form college from a university careers service

as an individual school or as a consortium

Providers of careers guidance schools themselves

impartiality? qualifications to provide career guidance?

individual careers advisers referral and support? professional updating? cover for sick leave?

LAs/Connexions/careers/other organisations existing provider

continuity; links with ‘targeted’ service new provider

fresh start; commissioning and contract monitoring; local knowledge

Step-by-step guide to commissioning

1. Clarifying understanding of the new duty2. Briefing senior leaders and governors3. Reviewing current provision4. Identifying the services that need to be

commissioned5. Confirming the budget for CEIAG services6. Identifying possible providers7. Researching providers8. Drawing up a shortlist of potential providers9. Inviting bids10. Agreeing a contract

Step 0

Which senior leader will take responsibility for commissioning careers guidance services for the school?

Will the school commission services as an individual school or as part of a group of schools?

Re-assessing provision

What could be provided internally?

What will still be available from the local authority?

What is needed from an external provider?

Services from an external provider

Pupils/students one-to-one guidance groupwork drop-in surgeries support on results days access in holiday time

Parents information meetings consultation evenings

School/staff careers information support curriculum advice support for work experience quality award INSET network meetings

Quality matters

In October 2011 BIS announced a national quality standard for the National Careers Service (an upgraded and improved Matrix standard), to set a standard for other providers of careers guidancewww.matrixstandard.com

Professional qualifications for careers guidance advisersDipCG; QCG; NVQ 4 Advice & Guidance;Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development

Choosing a provider

range of services quality standards professional qualifications impartiality experience of working with schools and young people local knowledge referral and support cover for absence CRB checks public liability and professional indemnity insurance costs

Will it work? Concerns

no entitlement for students inconsistent quality of service “postcode lottery” “squeezed middle”

Reviews Education Select Committee inquiry into careers guidance for

young people (published 23 January 2013) Ofsted survey (spring term 2013)

Underlying problems no funding very limited support no monitoring no sanctions

H of C Education Committee report

Careers guidance for young people: The impact of the new duty on schools (23 January 2013)

“The Government’s decision to transfer responsibility for careers guidance to schools is regrettable. We have concerns about the consistency, quality, independence and impartiality of careers guidance now being offered to young people. We heard evidence that there is already a worrying deterioration in the overall level of provision for young people. Urgent steps need to be taken by Government to ensure that young people’s needs are met.”

What would help?

Funding DfE (what happened to the £200M?)

Support and sharing good practice Local authorities National Careers Service Career Development Institute

Challenge and monitoring National Careers Service

Professional development for careers work

Training for coordinator/manager (‘Careers Leader’) careers education and guidance management and curriculum leadership

Training of tutors providing guidance knowledge and understanding of opportunities

and progression routes information and advice skills school-based

Training for teachers of careers education

Information briefings for all staff 14-19 options, qualifications and progression routes

Professional qualifications for the future: proposition and possibilities

A single professional development framework for all career development professionals, designed as a unified framework for mandatory and optional modules

HE-based routeEnhanced Qualification in Career Guidance (QCG)

Competency-based routeEnhanced L6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development

Issues for schools

1. Will you make any changes to the provision of careers education and work-related learning, now they are no longer statutory?

2. What does the local authority intend to provide in terms of ‘targeted’ support services:

for which young people? breadth of services, including careers guidance?

3. What guidance do you already provide internally and what might you provide in the future?

4. What services will you want from an external provider of careers guidance:

for pupils?; for parents?; for staff?5. Which senior leader will be taking the lead on securing

careers guidance services for pupils?6. What approach to providing careers guidance

will you adopt?