Owen Evans
Director - Skills, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning
Cyfarwyddwr - Sgiliau, Addysg Uwch a Dysgu Gydol Oes
Moving from
Learner Demand to
Economic Demand
Agenda
•
Context for Careers Service
•
Review Process
•
The goods and bads
•
Key issues
•
Developing approach in Wales
Careers Services
• Background
• Leitch, Webb review
• UKCES
• Wales Employment and Skills Board
• Review of Careers Wales
– First Review suggested unification
– Review also highlighted wider concerns
over CW role
• Second Review Chaired by Dr Haydn
Edwards with Dr Deidre Hughes and
Prof Danny Saunders.
What does the Careers Service look like in
Wales?
• Careers Wales staff in the 6 companies – 1,035
• H.E. Careers Advisory Services in 12 H.E.I s - 154
• Secondary Schools (220 maintained)
• FE colleges 20 institutions - est. 100
• Learning Coaches - 1,200 registered
• Jobcentre Plus - 719 personal advisors
• Probation and Youth Offending Team workers –
1,500
• Community Learning Representatives - 1,000
• Union Learning Representatives – 1,200
• DWP Providers ??
• Estimate of around 5,000 individuals – not FTE
A complex footprint…
Edwards Review
Terms of Reference
•A broad span of careers education and IAG provided by
Careers Wales and other providers
•Consider Prof Watts assessment and steps required to
develop to a world-class system
•Consider different client groups and the relevant
processes
•Consider coherence and cost effectiveness of existing
structures
•Develop a vision for future direction
•Propose a strategy for realising the vision.
Further Considerations
•Relationships between service providers and service
users
•How these services and relationships are managed,
co-ordinated, quality assured, monitored, inspected
and evaluated ; and
•How the services were supported by a range of
factors such as professional standards, qualified
staff, capacity building, benchmark arrangements,
sharing of information and best practice, use of data
and technology and the role of research and peer
review
First Impressions – positive
•Innovative practices – use of technology
•Outstanding Estyn reports
•An all age, comprehensive and bilingual
service
•Local structures with strong management
and governance
•Data driven and responsive
Not so positive …..
• “doing too many things”
• National leadership not developed
• Communication with (and within) Government
needed improving
Recommendations 1
• Careers and the World of Work
• Education Business Partnerships and Sector
Skills Councils
• Building Capacity in the Career Service
• 14-19 Learning Pathways Partnership/Children
and Young People
• A fully integrated Service Delivery Model
• Priority Groups
Recommendations 2
•
•
•
•
•
Career service for Adults
Welfare reform agenda
Careers Service Strategy Forum for Wales
Careers Wales – organisation and brand
DCELLS Careers service policy branch
Overriding Issues
•Market supply not aligned to market need – poor LMI
•Lack of Visible Ownership for Business Sector to
engage with and no single coordinating body
•Context differences between sectors
•Engagement with education sector not seen as
adding value for businesses
•Language differences hampering engagement
•Barriers being inadvertently raised for social mobility
•Business not used to engaging with education on a
collective basis
Current Picture of Business-Education Links in
Wales
Sector Skills Councils
Careers Wales
Business/Industry
Primary
School
•Basic
Maths
•Basic
Literacy
Secondary
School
•Governance
•Teachers
Experience
•Reporting
•Careers Advice
•Bias against
Apprenticeships
•Work Experience
•LMI
FE
HE
Don’t take Macro
Approach
•Some good
practice but supply •No Compulsion to
match output with
mis-aligned
Supply of key skills demand HESA
hampered by lack
insufficient
•Inflexible and/or of LMI 
lack critical mass
Business/
Industry
•Short term
•Act individually
•Demand
flexibility
•Little
Understanding
of Education
Sector
Progress to date
•LMI – discussions with UKCES and WAG Economic
Renewal Programme
•SSC dialogue
•Work Experience Conference
•Close links with employers directly FSB/CBI/and
through WESB
•Planning underway for future Careers Service,
function and form
End / Diwedd