Careers work in schools: what are our options?

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Careers work in schools what are our options?

• David Andrews
• Tuesday 30 October 2012, London
• ESRC Seminar Series

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We dont need no careers education

• (in England)

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Aims of careers work in schools

• to help students develop the skills and
  confidence to make realistic and informed
  decisions about their futures, for themselves,
  and to manage the transitions from one stage of
  their education, training and work to the next
• to help students develop knowledge and
  understanding of learning, work and career

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Students 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

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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

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National Careers Service

• 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 serviceswww.nationa
  lcareersservice.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, but not to be
  branded NCS

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Education Act 2011 CEG

• Schools have a new statutory duty to secure
  access to independent careers guidance for pupils
  in Years 9-11 (consultation on extending the duty
  down to Year 8 and up to age 18 in schools, sixth
  form colleges and FE)
• 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, but not to
  independent schools
• The statutory duty to teach careers education has
  been repealed from September 2012 from
  September 2013

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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)

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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 taught
• The only additional freedom that repealing the
  statutory duties gives schools is the freedom to
  drop these areas from the curriculum

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school - external guidance service partnership

• Careers Service service level agreements
• Connexions partnership agreements
• School-commissioned contracts with providers of
  careers guidance

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Careers guidance from 2012 external models

• 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

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Careers guidance from 2012 internal models

• 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

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Will it work?

• Concerns
• no entitlement for students
• inconsistent quality of service
• postcode lottery
• squeezed middle
• Reviews
• Education Select Committee inquiry
• Ofsted theme inspection
• Underlying problems
• no funding
• very limited support
• no monitoring
• no sanctions

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Other parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland

• Wales
• Single, public sector-funded, all-age careers
  service
• Careers education statutory 13-19
• Scotland
• Skills Development Scotland
• Career Management Skills Framework for Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning
  inquiry into CEIAG strategy
• Republic of Ireland
• School-based guidance counsellors
• Work with individuals (counselling) plus work on
  self-management skills to make choices (guidance)
• Concern re. funding allocations to schools

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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 peoples career management and
  employability skills
• New ACEG Framework for careers and work-related
  education 7-19
• Quality in Careers standard
• Professional development for careers education
  subject leaders?

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Options for the future 1Keep Calm and Carry On

• Funding
• DfE
• Support and sharing good practice
• Local authorities and individuals
• National Careers Service
• Career Development Institute
• Challenge and monitoring
• National Careers Service

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Options for the future 2Forward to the past

• Re-visit the partnership model
• Change the remit and funding for the National
  Careers Service to make it a truly all-age
  careers guidance service for England, with
  partnership agreements with schools

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Options for the future 3a fresh start?

• Develop a world-class, school-based model
• Career development professionals employed by
  schools
• Responsible for providing careers information,
  advice and guidance and for leading on careers
  education

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Builds on current trends

• School autonomy
• Emerging practice in a significant minority of
  schools not complying with the new statutory duty
• Blurring of roles between external careers
  advisers and careers leaders in schools
• Established practice in FE colleges, HE and many
  independent schools

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Challenges

• Impartiality
• Bigger problem which careers guidance cannot
  solve
• LMI
• Role for National Careers Service
• Role for employers (I and A, but not G)
• Professional Development and Support
• Role for National Careers Service and Career
  Development Institute working together
• Funding
• Include an allocation in direct school grant

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Transition plan

• Where would the careers staff in schools come
  from?
• some careers coordinators in schools, more
  careers advisers
• Professional qualifications for the new role
• QCG, plus modules on careers education
• new Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and
  Development, with new units on careers education
• What would happen to the existing careers
  companies?
• Regional providers of LMI and professional
  support services, commissioned by NCS and CDI

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So what next?

• A discussion paper
• Consultations with interested parties
• Research of models in Ireland, USA, Australia,
  etc.
• Anyone interested in working further on this
  please contact me
• davidandrews_ceg_at_hotmail.com