Career information, advice and
guidance delivered by Skills
Development Scotland
in Perth and Kinross
1 April 2016
A report by HM Inspectors
The external review process
HM Inspectors undertake an independent review of the quality of provision of Career
information, advice and guidance delivered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on
behalf of the Scottish Government under a service level agreement between the
Scottish Government and Education Scotland. External review teams include HM
Inspectors and associate assessors.
During external reviews, members of the review teams observe group activities and
one-to-one coaching support, and hold discussions with customers, staff and
stakeholders. They consider information on the quality of careers information, advice
and guidance. They meet with recipients of the service and obtain feedback from
groups, partners and staff who work for SDS.
The purpose of this report is to convey the main outcomes arising from the external
review, to acknowledge service’s strengths and to provide a clear agenda for future
action to improve and enhance quality.
This external review results in judgements of grades that express the external review
team’s overall evaluation of Outcome and Impact, Service Delivery and Leadership and
quality culture and a judgement on capacity to improve based on the evidence from all
key areas, in particular Outcomes, Impact and Leadership.
The report also uses the following terms to describe
numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
less than half
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
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Contents
Page
1.
Introduction
The external review
1
2.
Policy context
2
3.
The service and its context
3
4.
Background information
4
5.
Outcomes of external review
Judgement of grades
6
Section A: Grades
6
Section B: Areas of positive practice
6
Section C: Areas for development
7
Section D: Main points for action
8
6.
Outcomes and Impact
How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant
high quality outcomes?
How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders?
9
7.
Service Delivery
How good is delivery of key services?
How good is management of key services?
11
13
15
8.
Leadership and quality culture
How good is strategic leadership?
16
16
9.
Capacity to improve based on evidence from Outcomes and
impact, Service delivery and Strategic leadership
17
9
9
10. What happens next?
18
11.
Further information
18
12.
How can you contact us?
19
Appendices
20
Glossary of terms
20
1. Introduction
The external review
The external review by Education Scotland took place between 1 and 5 February 2016.
The review focused on career information, advice and guidance (CIAG) services delivered
by SDS in Perth and Kinross.
We examined activities that impact on the quality of customer experience. We evaluated
these against the three key principles of Outcomes and Impact, Service Delivery and
Leadership and Quality Culture using the 13 reference quality indicators outlined in
External quality arrangements for the review of Career Information Advice and Guidance
services delivered by Skills Development Scotland, published in May 2015.
The external review team talked with customers, staff at all levels in the organisation,
external agencies and other users of the service.
1
2. Policy Context
The role of Skills Development Scotland
SDS all-age career information, advice and guidance services aim to support young
people and adults to make a positive transition into continued education, training or the
world of work. SDS achieves this by supporting customers in their development of career
management skills (CMS) which lay the foundations for success in their future careers.
The services provided by SDS in schools are driven by the ambitions of Curriculum for
Excellence. Accordingly there are significant interdependencies between the roles and
responsibilities of schools and wider partners, the design and delivery of school curriculum
and the services provided by SDS. Planning for successful service delivery through
School Partnership Agreements requires effective collaboration between SDS and its
partners.
In March 2011, the Scottish Government published a framework for the redesign and
improvement of CIAG services. As the largest provider of CIAG services in Scotland,
SDS has a lead role in implementing this change. This change has been implemented
through an integrated service involving face to face meetings, communication through
contact centre and an online CMS environment, My World of Work (MyWoW).
Currently, this service is delivered on-site in Scotland’s 364 secondary schools. Services
include a blend of one-to-one careers coaching support, facilitated group sessions, drop in
sessions, and supported access to MyWoW. The level of intensity of support is
determined by an assessment of pupil needs made in discussion with schools. The
greatest proportion of careers coach support is provided to those young people deemed
at ‘medium or maximum risk’ of not securing and sustaining a place in education, training
or work.
Underpinning service delivery is the commitment of SDS to work with partners in schools,
local authorities and Education Scotland to build capacity to deliver the ambitions of
Curriculum for Excellence - Building the Curriculum 4, in particular development of CMS.
This partnership approach supports schools to deliver this component of Curriculum for
Excellence, whilst creating a learning context for young people that is compatible with and
builds upon the service delivery commitments of SDS. As a result, much of the work of
SDS requires effective collaboration with a range of partners at national and local levels.
SDS has a key role to play in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Opportunities for
All initiative, under which all 16-19 year olds will receive an offer of a place in learning or
training. SDS work in this area has been reinforced with the passage of legislation
allowing SDS and key partners, including Local Authorities, schools and Further
Education Institutions to share data on all the young people they work with. The Post 16
Education (Scotland) Act 2013 and the statutory guidance mandate SDS and key partners
to share data in order to support young people in their post school transitions.
2
3.
The service area and its context
In carrying out the external review of services delivered in Perth and Kinross, Education
Scotland took the following area context fully into account.
SDS CIAG services in the Perth and Kinross are delivered from a main centre in Perth, a
part-time centre in Blairgowrie and community locations in Aberfeldy and Crieff. Fifteen
staff are employed to deliver CIAG services in the area.
Perth and Kinross region covers an area of 5,286 square kilometres. Based on landmass,
the region is the fourth largest local authority in Scotland. It is a mix of urban and rural
locations, including the City of Perth and a number of smaller towns such as Pitlochry,
Aberfeldy, Crieff, Blairgowrie and Kinross. The majority of Scotland’s population are
within 90 minutes travelling distance of the area.
Over the past decade Perth and Kinross has experienced the second highest population
growth in Scotland. Around 29% of people living in the area are aged over 60, with only
15% of the population aged 16-29, which is below the Scottish average. Perth is one of
Scotland’s fastest growing cities and the population is predicted to grow by almost 10,000
over the next 15 years. This growth includes a rapidly expanding school-age population.
Perth and Kinross is home to the headquarters of major employers such as Aviva,
Stagecoach, SSE and Highland Spring. However, the economy of the region is
dominated by small employers and micro and small businesses account for 98% of total
businesses in area. Key employment sectors include tourism, food and drink, retail, and
financial services.
There are ten secondary schools in the area which are located in the main towns. Each
school is supported by SDS through a career coach, work coach, and personal adviser.
Levels of deprivation in Perth and Kinross remain relatively low. In 2012, six areas, five
located in the north of Perth city and one in Rattray in Blairgowrie, were considered to be
within the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland.
3
4.
Background information
Terminologies used in this report.
The term ‘service area’ is used to describe the geographical area referred to in this report.
SDS uses a variety of approaches to deliver CIAG services. This is often referred to as a
blended service. SDS promotes a Universal Offer to support all secondary school pupils.
In addition, a Targeted Service Offer is aimed at pupils who are at risk of not entering or
sustaining a positive destination. SDS offers access to a range of services for post-school
customers. The different offers are shown below:
SDS School Universal Offer consists of:
o Access to My World of Work (MyWoW) web service
o Group-work sessions on:
 Introduction to MyWoW
 Introduction to career management skills (CMS)
 Introduction to labour market information (LMI)
o Drop-in clinics for career management and employability
o Opportunity for any pupil to request a face to face session
SDS School Targeted Service Offer consists of:
o
Structured programme of one-to-one career coaching
o Handover to dedicated work coach
SDS Post-school 16-19 Service Offer consists of:
o
o
o
o
o
Access to MyWoW web service
Structured programme of one-to-one career coaching
Dedicated work coach service for targeted young people
Telephone access to SDS contact centre
Open access to public centres (47 locations throughout Scotland)
SDS All age Service Offer (adults) consists of:
o
o
o
o
o
Access to MyWoW web service
Telephone access to SDS contact centre
Access to one-to-one career coaching
Partnership action for continuing employment (PACE)
Integrated employment and skills (IES) – joint work activities with Job Centre
Plus
o Open access to public centres (47 locations throughout Scotland)
Further information on Skills Development Scotland’s services to individuals and
employers can be found at www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk. My World of Work web
service can be accessed at www.myworldofwork.co.uk.
4
Staff roles
In Perth and Kinross area, SDS use a number of titles to describe the roles of the staff.
These include Career Coach, Work Coach and Personal Adviser. Throughout this report,
the term careers staff is used to refer to all staff involved in delivering CIAG services.
One-to-one career coaching sessions
A major strand of SDS CIAG work is the delivery of one-to-one career coaching sessions.
Current arrangements for external review now include observation of one-to-one career
coaching sessions and therefore this area of work is evaluated within this report.
5
5.
Outcomes of External Review
Judgement of Grades
Section A:
Grades
The review team awarded grades for each of the six key themes based on the following
criteria:
excellent:
very good:
good:
satisfactory:
weak:
unsatisfactory:
Outstanding and sector leading
Major strengths
Important strengths with some areas for improvement
Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
Important weaknesses
Major weaknesses
Key theme
Grade
Customer progression and achievement of
relevant high quality outcomes
good
Meeting the needs of stakeholders
good
Delivery of key services
good
Management of service delivery
good
Strategic leadership
very good
Capacity for improvement
good
Section B:





Areas of positive practice
The area team makes good use of local and national targets to plan the delivery of
services.
The percentage of young people sustaining a positive destination has improved over
the last three years, and has been consistently above the national average.
SDS careers staff link effectively with staff in secondary schools and make good use
of school partnership agreements (SPAs) to set targets for service delivery.
Careers staff make effective use of partner premises in Blairgowrie, Aberfeldy, and
Crieff to deliver CIAG services flexibly within local communities.
SDS careers staff are accessible to pupils in all secondary schools across the area,
and school partners value highly the services offered to young people.
6









Strong leadership from the SDS area manager is supporting partners to work more
closely together to secure positive outcomes for all customer groups.
Career coaches contribute productively to Opportunities for All groups in secondary
schools and support school managers to access and use data to support inform
further planning of services.
Work coaches support 16- 19 year old customers at maximum risk of not achieving a
positive destination to build confidence and resilience and to seek new opportunities
for further learning or employment.
SDS careers staff are valued highly by customers and key partners for the quality of
the services they deliver and support they provide.
Careers staff plan services well to overcome transport issues and provide services in
rural communities.
SDS managers plan the delivery of services appropriately to make best use of the
strengths of the area team.
SDS managers support staff well to contribute to action-planning for improvement
using the Business Excellence self-assessment process.
Strengthened collaboration with local headteachers has improved communication,
sharing intelligence and planning for service delivery.
The area team engages productively in formal and informal arrangements to
evaluate the quality of CIAG services.
Section C:









Areas for development
The percentage of young people entering a positive destination on leaving school in
Perth and Kinross has declined by 1.1% in 2014/15 and has now dropped below
the national average.
Overall, school staff are not sufficiently aware of the value and purpose of CMS as a
national strategy.
Most schools have not yet made sufficient arrangements to fully embed CMS within
the wider curriculum.
A few careers staff do not always take sufficient account of the diverse
needs, circumstances and abilities of all participants when delivering group
work to post-school customers.
The use of MyWoW has not been promoted sufficiently by schools as part of the
wider curriculum.
The presence and availability of the career coach is not always promoted sufficiently
well to school pupils.
Most school pupils are not sufficiently aware of the types of employment
opportunities that might be on offer in the local area.
Professional dialogue does not always focus sufficiently on improving individual
practice to meet identified needs.
Strategic priorities within the Enterprise and Employability in Secondary School
strategy do not plan sufficiently to support implementation of CIAG developments or
the Career Education Standard (CES).
7
Section D:
Main points for action

SDS should ensure that the content and pace of group-work sessions meet the
needs of all post-school customers

SDS should ensure that arrangements for staff reflection and evaluation and
CPD activities support the development needs of the area team

SDS and the local authority should continue to work together to ensure that
area strategic priorities reflect CIAG developments and CES

Staff in schools should continue to work with SDS staff to share effective
practice in improving School Leaver Destination Return (SLDR) performance
across all schools in the area

Schools should continue to work with SDS staff to raise awareness of CMS
and embed CMS in the wider school curriculum
8
6.
Outcomes and Impact
How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant, high quality
outcomes?
How effective are the area team at achieving and maintaining high levels of service
delivery?
The area team makes good use of local and national targets to plan the delivery of
services. In 2014/15, the area team met most of SDS nationally set targets. Two targets
which relate to the number of pupils receiving coaching guidance and the number of
individual engagements with unemployed 15-19 year olds, were not achieved. However,
these targets were based on anticipated customer demand and were removed in 2015/16
as they did not provide an appropriate measurement.
The percentage of young people entering a positive destination on leaving school in Perth
and Kinross has declined and is now below the national performance level. In 2014/15,
the SLDR indicated positive destinations for 91.8% of young people in the area, which is
just below the national average of 92.9%. Within Perth and Kinross a significant number
of school leavers undertake ‘gap year’ activities which impacts negatively on the number
of school leavers recorded as achieving a positive initial destination. The percentage of
young people sustaining a positive destination at follow-up has improved and has been
consistently higher than the national average for the last three years.
SDS careers staff link effectively with staff in secondary schools and make good use of
SPAs to set targets for service delivery. Regular review and updating of SPA targets by
careers staff and school managers is helping to ensure delivery of key services to young
people. Better partnership planning between SDS staff and school managers has
contributed to improvements in SLDR performance in some schools. However,
improvements in leaver destinations are inconsistent across schools and in 2014/15 the
number of young people achieving a positive destination declined in four secondary
schools.
How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders?
How well do customers make progress and achieve individual outcomes?
In Perth and Kinross, the main SDS careers centre is situated conveniently within Perth
City Centre. The centre is well resourced and accessible to all customer groups, including
those with restricted mobility. Careers staff make effective use of partner premises in
Blairgowrie, Aberfeldy, and Crieff to deliver CIAG services flexibly within local
communities. This enables customers in rural locations to overcome transport difficulties
to access services.
SDS careers staff are accessible in all secondary schools and school partners value
highly the services offered to young people. Careers staff make effective use of the
needs matrix to plan and target services to meet the needs of school-age customers.
Most group work sessions delivered by careers staff, support pupils well to develop CMS.
However, overall school staff are not sufficiently aware of the value and purpose of CMS
as a national strategy and most schools have not yet made sufficient arrangements to
fully embed CMS within the wider curriculum.
9
Almost all school pupils who have accessed one-to-one support from a career coach have
a good awareness of their options and choices and are prepared well to progress to
further learning or employment opportunities.
Most careers staff demonstrate a good awareness of equalities issues and embed
inclusive approaches in their day-to-day work. Career coaches work well with partners to
provide appropriately tailored support for young people with additional support needs and
speakers of other languages.
Work coaches provide effective support to young people most at risk of not achieving or
sustaining a positive destination. Adult customers benefit from one-to-one coaching and
helpful sessions on a range of topics including preparing a curriculum vitae and interview
techniques to build confidence and develop skills for gaining employment. Appropriately
planned and targeted PACE support enables employees at risk of redundancy to develop
CMS and access services to plan actions to progress to a positive destination.
How well do customers make progress and achieve individual outcomes?
How well do services meet the needs of relevant communities and other local and
national stakeholders?
SDS managers take good account of the needs of local communities in Perth and
Kinross. Careers staff work collaboratively with key stakeholders to match the delivery of
CIAG services to the needs of customers. Strong leadership from the SDS head of region
and area manager encourages and supports partners to work more collegiately to secure
positive outcomes for all customer groups. SDS staff deliver services flexibly and make
good use of partner premises to access for customers. For example, the LOGOS Centre
in Crieff and Strathmore Centre for Youth Dialogue in Blairgowrie, offer very accessible
‘café’ approaches to encourage young people to access CIAG services within their local
community.
The area manager works very effectively with local head teachers to plan the delivery of
CIAG services in secondary schools. Collectively, this group is working well to respond to
local and national priorities, resolve emerging issues and share effective practice to
improve services for young people. Careers staff promote and target CIAG services
appropriately in secondary schools. Overall, they deliver services in ways which meet the
needs of schools pupils.
Career coaches contribute productively to Opportunities for All groups in secondary
schools and support school managers well to access and use data to inform further
planning of services. They work closely with school staff to plan for transitions and
support young people to enter a positive destination on leaving school. All secondary
schools are inputting data to the data-hub effectively and this is resulting in effective
tracking and monitoring of positive destinations across the area.
10
7.
Service Delivery
How good is delivery of key services?
How well do services meet the needs of all customers?
The area team works collegiately to provide an appropriate range of CIAG services across
the area. These include sessions on MyWoW, workshops on CMS workshops and
one-to-one support to help customers develop CMS. Staff use the needs matrix
effectively to plan and review service delivery.
Effective partnership working with colleagues in schools and other agencies is enabling
careers staff to deliver targeted support to young people who are at risk of not entering a
positive destination. Career coaches engage well with secondary schools and their input
is valued by school managers and staff. They work collaboratively to embed CMS within
personal and social education programmes and provide well-planned support for the most
vulnerable young people. Staff in Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) ‘early
demonstrator’ schools value the opportunity of extending one-to-one engagements to
targeted young people in S3.
Overall, work coaches deliver well-planned support to young people most at risk of not
entering or sustaining a positive destination on leaving school. They help unemployed
customers to develop CMS through delivery of tailored workshops and one-to-one
support. Adult customers build confidence and resilience and are encouraged to seek
new opportunities for further learning or employment. However, a few careers staff do
not always take sufficient account of the diverse needs, circumstances and abilities of
all participants when delivering group work to post-school customers. As a result,
some customers do not engage fully in activities and are at risk of not sufficiently
developing their CMS.
How effective are relationships with customers?
SDS careers staff are valued highly by customers and key partners for the quality of the
services they deliver and support they provide. Relationships with stakeholders and
partners have improved significantly over recent years which has contributed positively to
the implementation of DYW.
Career coaches have established positive and productive relationships with young people
and staff. The SDS area team support each other well and have established strong team
working both internally and with partners to which focuses on the needs of customers.
SDS managers work well with staff in the local college to ensure that young,
college-based customers receive appropriate support. The area team work closely with
college staff to access young people who are at risk of leaving programmes and intervene
quickly to help them to find an alternative positive destination. Most school pupils are
aware of how to access CIAG support when they require it. All pupils who have accessed
one-to-one support value the help they have received and feel more informed about their
choices about next steps on leaving school.
11
How accessible, flexible and inclusive are services?
Careers staff plan services well to overcome transport issues and provide services in rural
communities. SDS staff work flexibly with partners to plan and deliver workshops and
one-to-one engagements in local communities to encourage more customers to access
CIAG services.
The area team use national materials to plan and deliver group-work sessions. Most
careers staff adapt materials appropriately to meet the needs of individual customers,
including those with profound and complex needs.
Career coaches and personal advisors work well with schools to support young people
prepare for transition from school to work or further learning. They encourage groups of
young people from local schools to visit the SDS centre in Perth to become familiar with
the range of services available to them on leaving school.
Career coaches are very visible and accessible within schools and promote the range of
CIAG services effectively. In almost all schools, young people and school staff are kept
well informed regarding availability of career coaches. However, the presence and
availability of the career coach is not always promoted sufficiently well to school pupils.
This reduces opportunities for young people to access services independently.
SDS staff work hard and use a range of approaches to promote CIAG services. They
make good use of social media to enable customers to access information flexibly.
Improved partnership working with the local authority has increased access to services for
school-age customers. Well-planned careers fairs are enabling SDS staff to engage with
pupils, parents and caregivers to promote and explain the options and choices for young
people.
How well are services delivered?
The area manager draws productively on knowledge of the area and SDS planning
priorities to inform the local work plan. SDS managers plan the delivery of services
appropriately to make best use of the strengths of the area team. Senior staff in
secondary schools increasingly value discussions with SDS managers to develop and
agree SPAs. Careers staff and school managers work well together to review SPAs,
monitor progress towards achievement of targets and revise activity where appropriate.
Career coaches use national materials to plan and deliver group-work sessions. A few
staff adapt these materials to meet the needs of specific customer groups or contextualise
delivery to the local area.
SDS staff are beginning to build the awareness of CMS of staff in secondary schools.
Career coaches deliver helpful workshops on topics such as LMI and MyWoW. However,
the use of MyWoW has not been promoted sufficiently by schools.
Career coaches participate actively in school transition planning meetings. They work
effectively with school staff to coordinate services to support pupils who are most at risk of
not entering a positive destination. In a few schools, careers staff are working
collaboratively with schools to embed CMS within subject areas. However, this is at an
early stage and most schools are not sufficiently aware of the role and purpose of CMS
12
and its relevance to the development of skills for learning, life, and work. As a result,
school pupils do not always have sufficient opportunity to consolidate their CMS within the
broader curriculum.
Most pupils in the senior phase are aware of MyWoW and have registered to use the
web-service. However, most young people do not use the service independently to
develop their CMS and are not fully aware of the types of employment opportunities that
are available in the local area.
Staff are encouraged to be innovative and adopt good practice when planning group work.
Most careers staff draw on their professional knowledge and make good use of national
resources to plan and deliver group work sessions. As a result, most group work sessions
are planned appropriately and meet the needs of different customer groups well.
However, a few staff do not plan group work effectively to meet the diverse needs of
post-school customers.
How well do staff reflect on service delivery to improve services?
SDS managers support staff well to contribute to action-planning for improvement using
the Business Excellence self-assessment process. The area team meets regularly to
review the delivery of services and identify actions to improve services for customers.
Staff make good use of customer feedback to inform and influence improvements to
services. All staff engage well with team time to share ideas and develop their practice.
Almost all staff have champion roles and draw on this to support team members to
enhance services for customers and partners.
The observation framework and one-to-one sessions using the ASPIRE process are used
productively by managers to support regular discussions with staff about their practice.
However, professional dialogue does not always focus sufficiently on improving individual
practice to meet identified needs. As a result, CPD arrangements are not always linked
sufficiently to the development needs of the area team.
How good is management of key services?
How well does the organisation work with partners to improve outcomes for
customers?
Over the last two years, SDS managers have improved partnership working at both
strategic and operational levels in Perth and Kinross. SDS staff now engage more
effectively with a broad range of agencies including the local authority, schools, voluntary
agencies, training providers, and employers. These significantly strengthened partnership
arrangements have improved access to CIAG services for customers. Joint planning of
events by SDS managers and the local authority is improving awareness of the range of
services and opportunities available across the area. Well-planned jobs and careers fairs
attract a wide range of national employers, institutions offering further and higher
education and independent training providers. These events provide useful opportunities
for customers to explore options for further learning or employment.
All partners acknowledge and value highly the contribution of SDS managers to inform
strategic developments. The area team is represented well on community planning
partnership forums and is a key partner in delivering the Perth and Kinross Enterprise
and Employability in Secondary School strategy.
13
SDS careers staff are well regarded by partners and are responsive and flexible to their
strategic and operational requirements. The open and professional approaches applied
by SDS managers is valued by partners in driving forward improvements for customers
across the area.
How effective is the organisation’s knowledge and information management in
supporting service delivery?
SDS managers take good account of the needs and challenges of a largely rural area to
plan resources and services. SDS managers share key information routinely with partners
to contribute to developments and support forward planning, particularly in relation to the
Perth and Kinross ‘story of place’ approach.
SDS staff work well with partners in secondary schools and the local authority to improve
the quality of data entered to the datahub. Careers staff deliver useful workshops to staff
in partner agencies to improve their understanding of the need to ensure quality of the
data being uploaded. Joint working between SDS staff and local authority colleagues has
raised awareness of the range of data available to inform planning. As a result, the
datahub is used increasingly effectively by partners to plan and deliver the service offer.
However, partners are not yet making sufficient use of labour market information to plan
future provision and approaches to supporting customers.
SDS staff and school managers work well together to plan and deliver SPAs. However,
SPAs and school improvement plans are not yet sufficiently aligned to complement and
enhance arrangements for DYW. This is resulting in missed opportunities for linking
development of CMS to the development of employability skills as part of DYW.
14
8.
Leadership and quality culture
How good is strategic leadership?
How effective is leadership for partnership working and service delivery?
All SDS staff in Perth and Kinross are very committed to SDS vision and values. SDS
managers take good account of local, regional, national and government priorities to
develop CIAG services to meet the needs of customers. They apply their knowledge of
local economic priorities and future skills requirements to develop appropriate area plans.
The area manager and team leader take good account of the Perth and Kinross context
and plan services accordingly to meet the needs of all customer groups.
SDS managers ensure that local area plans reflect the views of partners and key strategic
groups. They make use of local intelligence from staff to tailor the plan to meet the needs
of service users in local communities. Over the last two years, the SDS head of region
and area manager have improved links with key strategic partners across Perth and
Kinross. They work well with community planning partners to respond to recently revised
strategic priorities which refocus services more closely to the needs of local communities
within the area. Strengthened collaboration with local head teachers has improved
communication, sharing of intelligence, and planning for service delivery. All stakeholders
acknowledge the positive contribution of SDS managers in the delivery of youth
employment targets.
The SDS head of region and area manager are providing strong and clear strategic
direction for the implementation of DYW across Perth and Kinross. They have worked
effectively with local authority colleagues to support the development of a strategic area
response to DYW and delivery of the Enterprise and Employability in Secondary School
strategy. However, these strategic priorities have not yet been revised to support
implementation of the Career Education Standard (CES). In general, there is a lack of
awareness by schools of CES and its impact on the school curriculum.
How well do leaders develop and lead people?
Managers establish mutually respectful and positive relationships with colleagues. The
area manager leads staff well and conveys the principles of everyday leadership to
empower and motivate staff to take ownership of service delivery. This autonomy is
welcomed by staff at all levels. Almost all careers staff make good use of their
participation in the observation framework to support improvement and to share effective
practice.
The ASPIRE process is applied purposefully by managers to support individual staff to
reflect on performance and identify development needs. Staff have good access to CPD
opportunities and regularly undertake both formal and informal learning to update their
skills. However, the identification of development needs is overly focused on supporting
the interests of individual team members and is not linked sufficiently to meeting the wider
needs of the area team.
Almost all staff benefit from undertaking champion roles to extend their knowledge in
areas such as equality and diversity, labour market information and PACE. This is
supporting staff well to take lead responsibility for key aspects of service delivery. Staff
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champions provide a useful point of contact for individual team members and disseminate
current practice to support the wider work of the team. Managers make effective use of
formal and informal activities such as team time and role-specific staff meetings to share
practice and further develop the skills of team members.
How well do leaders secure improvement of quality and impact of services?
The area team engages productively in formal and informal arrangements to evaluate the
quality of CIAG services. SDS managers and staff gather and use stakeholder feedback
regularly to inform discussions and identify actions for improvement. The area team
systematically reviews a range of data to inform future planning including outcomes for
customers. Feedback from partners is used well to inform the continuous improvement
plan which is reviewed and updated regularly by staff .
Staff work well together to identify actions for improvement with secondary schools and to
support the work of partners. Managers empower team members to address issues
locally and support staff to take action where it is most needed. This approach
encourages and motivates staff to take action to enhance services and delivery
arrangements. Progress on action taken is discussed regularly and reviewed
systematically to share lessons learned.
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9.
Capacity to improve based on evidence from Outcomes and
impact, Service delivery and Strategic leadership
The percentage of young people entering a positive destination on leaving school in Perth
and Kinross has declined by 1.1% in 2014/15 and is now below the national average The
percentage of young people sustaining a positive destination has improved over the last
three years and has consistently been above the national average. SDS careers staff link
effectively with staff in secondary schools and make good use of SPAs to set targets for
service delivery. Overall, school staff are not sufficiently aware of the value and purpose
of CMS as a national strategy and most schools have not yet made sufficient
arrangements to fully embed CMS within the wider curriculum. A few careers staff do not
take sufficient account of the diverse needs, circumstances, and abilities of all participants
when delivering group work to post-school customer. Strong leadership from the SDS
area manager is supporting partners to work more closely together to secure positive
outcomes for all customer groups. Career coaches contribute productively to
Opportunities for All groups in secondary schools and support school managers to access
and use data to support and inform further planning of services. SPAs and school
improvement plans are not yet sufficiently aligned to support the requirements of DYW.
The SDS head of region and area manager are providing strong and clear strategic
direction for the implementation of DYW across Perth and Kinross. The area team
engages productively in formal and informal arrangements to evaluate the quality of CIAG
services. However, professional dialogue does not always focus sufficiently on improving
individual practice to meet identified needs.
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10. What happens next?
Following publication of this report, SDS and partners are expected to produce an action
plan to address the main points for action and/or areas for development in the report and
other quality assurance and enhancement activities.
A follow-up visit will be carried out involving SDS and partners approximately 18 months
after the initial visit to review progress made in response to any main points for action.
Gill Ritchie
HM Inspector
11. Further information
The review and judgements relate to the service area as a whole. For further information
about Education Scotland, the external review methodologies, or other information about
reviews, see www.educationscotland.gov.uk
For further information about Skills Development Scotland, see
http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/
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12. How can you contact us?
This report has been produced as a web-only publication and is available on our website
at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/othersectors/careersser
vices/index.asp
If you would like to receive this report in a different format, for example, in a translation
please contact the administration team on 0131 244 5684.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us by
telephone on 0131 244 4330, or email: complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or write
to us addressing your letter to The Complaints Manager, Denholm House, Almondvale
Business Park, Livingston, EH54 6GA.
Crown Copyright 2016
Education Scotland
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Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
CES
CIAG
CMS
CPD
DYW
IES
LMI
MyWoW
PACE
SDS
SLDR
SPA
Career Education Standard
Careers Information, Advice and Guidance
Career Management Skills
Career Professional Development
Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce
Integrated Employment and Skills
Labour Market Information
My World of Work
Partnership action for continuing employment
Skills Development Scotland
School Leaver Destination Return
School Partnership Agreement
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