Careers work in schools:
what are our options?
David Andrews
Tuesday 30 October 2012, London
ESRC Seminar Series
“We don’t need no
[careers] education”
(in England)
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
Students’ needs

Careers Information



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Careers Advice & Guidance



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on post-13/14 (KS4) options, post-16 options,
post-17 and post-18 options
on progression routes
comprehensive, up to date, accessible
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
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, but not to be branded ‘NCS’]
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
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 taught
The only additional freedom that repealing
the statutory duties gives schools is the
freedom to drop these areas from the
curriculum
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:
external models

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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
Careers guidance from 2012:
internal models

employing a professionally qualified careers
adviser
 training a teacher, or member of the nonteaching staff, to provide career guidance
 giving the job to someone not qualified or trained
Will it work?

Concerns





Reviews



no entitlement for students
inconsistent quality of service
“postcode lottery”
“squeezed middle”
Education Select Committee inquiry
Ofsted theme inspection
Underlying problems




no funding
very limited support
no monitoring
no sanctions
Other parts of the UK and the
Republic of Ireland

Wales

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
Scotland



Skills Development Scotland
Career Management Skills Framework for Scotland
Northern Ireland


Single, public sector-funded, all-age careers service
Careers education statutory 13-19
Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning inquiry into
CEIAG strategy
Republic of Ireland



School-based guidance counsellors
Work with individuals (counselling) plus work on selfmanagement skills to make choices (guidance)
Concern re. funding allocations to schools
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
New ACEG Framework for careers and workrelated education 7-19
Quality in Careers standard
Professional development for careers education
subject leaders?
Options for the future: 1
Keep 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
Options for the future: 2
Forward 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
Options for the future: 3
a 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
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
Challenges …

Impartiality


LMI



Role for National Careers Service
Role for employers (I and A, but not G)
Professional Development and Support


Bigger problem which careers guidance cannot solve
Role for National Careers Service and Career
Development Institute working together
Funding

Include an allocation in direct school grant
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
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@hotmail.com