1. ‘Careers at EVERY Level’
An Approach to Early
Career Development for Young People with Learning Difficulties
Jenny Connick Founder Talentino

2. Introduce this session
Consider the big picture of early career development for Special Schools
Talk about the work we are doing with Special Schools
Tell you about how it all started
Answer questions you might have at the end
Note – we use terms MD, SLD, PMLD and learning difficulties and the word ‘Career’
Important to us that you as new entrants into Careers have an opportunity to think about the early career development needs of ALL young people

3. Who is Talentino?
Early Career Development Company created by senior people from business with expertise in careers, coaching and employability
Strategists, Creators, Innovators, stimulating change in early career development in the UK
Our vision is about building capacity and capability to improve careers learning and outcomes for young people by training people to deliver our early career development programmes
@Talentino Ltd June 2011

4. The Talentino team Our skills and competencies
Deep knowledge of early career development
Deep knowledge of disadvantaged young people
Business Entrepreneurs and owners
HR directors
International HR experience (Siemens )
Recruitment Managers
Leadership development
Senior Coaches
Trainers
Careers Programme Designers
Teachers
Event Managers
Film makers
Photographers
Graphic artists and printers
@Talentino Ltd June 2011

5. Our growth and impact
Trained nearly 700 Early Career Coaches in all types of schools:
Projects and programmes in nearly 100 schools of all types from A* students
Half are Special Schools including young people with learning difficulties
Also work directly with the most disadvantaged young people
Quality –
Matrix Quality award for Careers Providers recommended by UK Government
Career Development Institute’s Careers Assured award for our programmes
Full version of our programmes are accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council at Foundation Practitioner level
National Partnerships with Leonard Cheshire, ADVIZA, Experian
Partner to create digital version of our mainstream programme
Won places on four Social Enterprise programmes including Big Issue and Ernst & Young
Measure the impact of our Special Schools programme using tool Annual conference for all our Special Schools created by University Warwick against 28 Employability Indicators
Provide an annual conference for all our Special Schools to develop best practise
Campaign at national level to improve careers learning
@Talentino Ltd June 2011

6. Talentino has excellent connections
Department Education Careers policy team – National Careers Strategy
All Party Parliamentary Group
Minister for Skills
Career Development Institute – professional body for Careers Advisers
Careers England – Careers Quality Mark, Careers think tank
Careers and Enterprise Company – new Government thought leader in careers driving targeted change, improving quality and employer engagement
National Gatsby Project – delivering pilot against the new Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers
Skills Funding Agency – funds National Careers Service and Apprenticeships
Lead Academics careers field
Local Economic Partnerships around the country
@Talentino Ltd June 2011

7. What do we do? Offer three early career development programmes:
Mainstream – It’s in the Box ( new digital version launching this year)
Special Needs- Careers at Every Level
Primary – Bambino!
Professionalise the role of many people involved in careers conversations
Train people to become Early Career Coaches to deliver our programmes
Can qualify them via EMCC

8. Talentino! Career Development model- design
Created original model based on concept from Harvard Business School, background HR Director
Brings the knowledge from professional career development in business into the classroom
Takes account of all stakeholders – pupils, school, parents/carers, employers
Took all the hotspots ( UK context) from traditional careers and design something better e.g. resources / access / limited face to face / reactive / exploring options / high pressure / timetable squeeze
Acknowledge young people’s feedback about what they want and the pressure they face
Affordable ‘Face to face’ support for 100% pupils
Builds in-house capability and capacity
@ Talentino June

9. Career Development Portfolio ‘Write your own Careers Story’
Passion
Continuous Career development process starts from the age of 11
Find out what prime motivators are using profiling tool (CICO lite®)
Possibility
Explore widest range of options and start early
Make smart career decisions underpinned by a personal career development plan
Purpose
Develop skills employers value
Learn how to compete for your career
Research based underpinned by Scientific theory

10. Big Picture Young people with learning difficulties
105,000 pupils in Special Schools aged 13-18
450,000 in SEN provision mainstream
65% adults with learning difficulties want a paid job and 6% have one
Our young people more likely to be unemployed, be bullied, suffer mental health issues, die younger

11. Picture of Careers in SEN Schools
LA retained statutory responsibility for careers – range of approaches and experiences
No visibility overall of the services provided
Latest national career initiatives include -
Gatsby Benchmarks – ‘SEND flavoured’
National Gatsby Project – SEND group
Careers England – Social Mobility Group
APPG – new report shortly
Careers and Enterprise Company – new SEND Group
New national careers strategy – Careers Policy team and SEND
New CDI framework – SEND inclusive
#sameandifferent published paper

12. How did ‘Careers at EVERY Level’ start?
Created a programme for mainstream
First customer Special School – Brookfields
Large 220 pupils. 200 staff, all ages, all abilities
Low levels of work experience
School asked for a similar programme for young people with learning difficulties
Worked together to develop it initially
Continue to do so…

13. ‘Careers at EVERY Level’
Find ways of using work as a development context to facilitate personal, careers and social development
Careers, Enterprise and Personal Development Programme for young people with LDD
3 elements:
Classroom based career coaching
Micro Enterprise in school
Working experience

14. Careers at Every Level 3 Goals
Improving the possibility and probability of paid work
Raise the level of work related skills to improve independent living for students and their families/carers
Enrich life experiences

15. Careers at Every Level Classroom based career coaching
1. What is work?
2. There is a job for me!
3. What should I choose?
4. I am ready for work!
5. How do I get my job? JC

16. What are employers looking for?
Enthusiastic young people
Commitment to work
Ability to communicate
Willing to learn and be trained
Turning up on time
Having the right attitude - CBI 85%
Some jobs need qualifications, some jobs don’t

17. Employer Engagement - Brookfields
0 to 60+ in 4 years
Employer Engagement Strategy
Positioning
Work Based Placements
Supported Internships
Example - Sainsbury's

18. Brookfields - Whole School Career Development Strategy
Way 2 Work
Work Based Placements
Business Enterprise
Work Related Learning
Supported Internships
Supported employment provider
Job Coaches
Travel training

19. Making it Work Together
Partnerships
Talentino! And other careers organisations
Project SEARCH
Local Authorities
BASE
Employers Network
Other schools locally and national
Reading College
Families
Supported employment provider
Job Coaches TSI trained

20. Third element - Enterprise
Important when competing with qualifications many employers do not understand
Helps an employer get to yes
Can demonstrate skills and knowledge to a potential employer
Examples:
Brookfeast
Munchies ( film on our website)
Catcote Academy Ten Enterprise Principles for students and staff

21. Measuring the impact of Careers at Every Level
Annual Uni Warwick survey tool
Measures against 27 employability indicators
Recent project BASE results around aspiration starting in school
Brookfields employment rate around 30%
Howdens project and Leonard Cheshire Disability Charity evaluation

22. Family support is vital
Aspirations
Anxiety
Concerns
Loss/grief
But given time and support and starting early ( KS3)
Increased confidence
Increased excitement
Increased aspiration
Drive, commitment, engagement

23. Brookfields so far… Brookfields – 5 years ago
Did not think about working
Did not do meaningful work experience
Now
A team of 8 + teachers who deliver Careers at Every Level
Bespoke individualised approach
Work Based Placements
Careers week
Expect to work
Working towards getting a job
Vocational Profile
Building CV content (QRL)
EHCP Outcomes
Job Coaches/TSI
Individualised Career Development plan
Positive mental wellbeing
Increased self esteem

24. Macro Challenges Social and economic policy, national and local
New Government green paper on disability and employment
Target 1 million
200 years
Convincing employers – 45% still anxious
Continuity of provision
Role of families
“Progress and regress”
19 – 25 provision

25. #Sameandifferent conference November 2016
Our schools are asking the Minister:
Create specific reference in new National Careers strategy to young people with learning difficulties
Embed careers learning into the curriculum
Show Gatsby benchmarks work just as well with some critical additions e.g. job coaching
Highlight all career goals are of equal value
Train Enterprise Advisers to broker employers who understand more and offer more working experience
Raise profile and value of supported internships to same as Apprenticeships
Highlight use of Access to Work funding whilst at school
Recognise critical role families play in delivering aspirations
Acknowledge employers role, increase their understanding and encourage their engagement
Commission research to surface what GOOD looks like in early career development in Special Schools including the level od employer engagement

26. “The Same and Different” (can download from www. talentinocareers. co
“The Same and Different” (can download from )
Same
Value of early career development
Aspirations of young people
Enjoy benefits of working
Social impact
Economic impact
Benefit of work experience
Benefit for employers
Developing employability skills
Different
Method of delivery
No focus in new Careers initiatives
Compete without qualifications
Additional organisations involvement
Appreciation of variegated career goals
More intensive preparation e.g. job coaching
More support for families

27. Film

28. Thank you and Questions
Jenny Connick