1. MA in Careers Education and Coaching January 19th 2018
Current Developments in Career Guidance Policy in England
January 19th 2018

2. Learning outcomes By the end of the session you will be able to:
Discuss recent developments in career guidance policy
Consider what their implications for practice are
Relate developments to wider Government policy and ideology.

3. Note Slides will be available after the session.
A full list of references will be given at the end of the presentation.

4. Implications for practice
Overview
Policy themes
Careers strategy
Statutory guidance
Implications for practice

5. Implications for practice
Overview
Policy themes
Careers strategy
Statutory guidance
Implications for practice

6. Wider policy themes Economy / Skills Social mobility
Brexit
Industrial strategy
Skills devolution
Social mobility
‘A country that works for everyone’
‘Just about managing’ (JAM)
Opportunity areas
Educational reform
Changes to GCSEs
Grammar schools
Apprenticeships and T-levels
Higher education reform

7. Key elements of current careers policy
Compulsory education
School-based system regulated by Statutory Guidance
The Careers & Enterprise Company
National Careers Service online and telephone provision
Jobcentre Plus
Local authority targeted provision
Post-compulsory education
FE-based system regulated by statutory guidance
Consumer expectations on HE
National Careers Service
Adults

8. Implications for practice
Overview
Policy themes
Careers strategy
Statutory guidance
Implications for practice

9. The careers strategy is out
Inspiring encounters with further and higher education, and with employers and workplaces
Excellent advice and guidance programmes
Support and guidance tailored to individual needs
Using data and technology to help everyone make choices about careers

10. The government’s ambition
“We want every person, no matter what their background is, to be able to build a rewarding career. We want to end the generational cycle of disadvantage which means that people from poorer backgrounds earn significantly less than those with wealthier parents, even when they have the same job, experience and qualifications. We want to break down the barriers that currently mean that people with special educational needs and disabilities, or those from disadvantaged groups, experience significantly lower employment rates. We want to challenge perceptions and raise aspirations so that subject and career choices are free from gender bias and people look beyond their immediate environment to new and exciting possibilities.”

11. “This is an ambitious plan, but one that can be delivered by a strong partnership between Government, employers, the education sector and the careers community. “
Education
Schools
Colleges
Training providers
Careers providers
The Careers & Enterprise Company
National careers service
Lots of other providers
Employers
Representative bodies
Companies
Professional bodies and trade unions

12. Going forwards…
“We will use the eight Benchmarks of good career guidance, developed by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, to set a standard of excellence. The CEC will take on a more ambitious role, building on their progress to date by coordinating support for schools and colleges across all the Gatsby Benchmarks.
The National Careers Service will be the single service that provides careers information, advice and guidance. Young people and adults will be able to access this online via a new, improved National Careers Service website, alongside a range of tools that individuals, parents and schools can use.”

13. Good career guidance
Summarises existing evidence and frames them as eight benchmarks.
Presents it in a way that can be understood by policy makers and acted on by school leaders.
Has achieved wide support amongst policy actors and practitioners alike.
The influential 2014 report

14. The Benchmarks 1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning and careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

15. State of the Nation 2017
Based on responses from 578 secondary schools gathered through the Compass self-assessment tool in 2016/2017.
The scope of the data is broadly comparable with data collected as part of the original Gatsby Good Career Guidance research in 2014 allowing us to see how provision has changed over time.

16. COMPASS (www.compass-careers.org.uk)

17. Number of benchmarks met by schools

18. New developments An all age strategy (sort of)
The Gatsby Benchmarks are now policy
Every school should have a careers leader (with funded training)
Schools must give providers of technical education and apprenticeships the opportunity to talk to all pupils
20 new careers hubs to be launched following on from the success in the North East
New pilots on career education in primary, career learning for adults.

19. Implications for practice
Overview
Policy themes
Careers strategy
Statutory guidance
Implications for practice

20. Career guidance and access for education and training providers
Released in January 2018.
Covers schools
A college version will be released imminently.

21. Must and should
“This is statutory guidance from the Department for Education. This means that recipients must have regard to it when carrying out duties relating to independent careers guidance and provider access to schools. We use the term ‘must’ when the person in question is legally required to do something and ‘should’ when advice is being offered.”

22. Musts
Every school must ensure that pupils are provided with independent careers guidance from year 8 to year 13.
Every school must ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access all pupils in year 8 to year 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.
Every school must publish a policy statement setting out their arrangements for provider access and ensure that it is followed.
All schools (including academies and other state-funded educational institutions) must continue to provide relevant information about all pupils to local authority support services.
Where pupils have EHC plans, their annual reviews must, from year 9 at the latest, include a focus on adulthood, including employment.
Schools must co-operate with local authorities, who have an important role to play through their responsibilities for SEND support services, EHC plans and also the promotion of participation in education and training.
Schools must ensure that young people are clear about the RPA requirement and what it means for them.

23. Shoulds The Gatsby Benchmarks and using Compass
Publishing a careers plan
Careers leaders

24. Implications for practice
Overview
Policy themes
Careers strategy
Statutory guidance
Implications for practice

25. What difference will this make?

26. How do changes in practice happen?

27. References
Department for Education. (2017). Careers Strategy: Making the Most of Everyone’s Skills and Talents. London: Department for Education.
Department for Education. (2018). Careers guidance and access for education and training providers. London: Department for Education.
Gatsby Charitable Foundation. (2014). Good Career Guidance. London: Gatsby Charitable Foundation.
The Careers & Enterprise Company. (2017). State of the Nation London: The Careers & Enterprise Company.