FEATURE

Careers advice shake-up

Careers advice in schools is to be revised under Government plans to make the guidance pupils receive more relevant and accessible.

The Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) strategy links with the raising of the participation age to 18 by 2015 and the development of 14-19 education. Under the plans, all students should have access to high quality impartial careers advice, with opportunities to sample higher education and experience life in the workplace. Support for parents has also been promised, along with online resources and specialist help for young people with additional needs. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

has stated that it expects teachers to play a vital role in supporting students to realise their career aspirations in collaboration with specialist careers advisers. Local authorities in England and Wales will be responsible for agreeing and commissioning IAG programmes in partnership with schools and youth services. They may make use of Connexions, local voluntary and private organisations, and professional careers advisers to provide advice and support to students. Careers advisers are to receive ongoing training as part of the IAG strategy. The NASUWT has welcomed the Government’s commitment to revitalise the provision of IAG as the Union believes that meaningful reform of 14-19 education will not be achieved without high quality support for young people in deciding their future education and careers options.

The NASUWT has been clear in its discussions with Government that extra responsibilities must not be placed on teachers or headteachers for providing careers guidance and that such support must be provided by appropriately trained specialists. Further information for schools on the IAG strategy is available at www.tda.gov.uk/ teachers/iag.aspx. The NASUWT believes that access to such advice and guidance is also essential for adult learners. Currently, adults seeking advice about skills education and training have a limited number of sources of independent IAG. Information from providers, while often comprehensive and readily accessible, is not independent as the advice and provision are derived from the same source. Such advice is unlikely to indicate the full range of options open to those seeking information from other providers.

Useful information about skills education and training can be obtained from the JobCentre Plus service but often these services are targeted towards particular groups and can be difficult for all learners to access.

It is essential that the Government works to ensure that all learners have access to external sources of independent IAG as part of a broader policy to support the education and training of all adult learners.


Information, guidance and resources for teachers online:

Quality, Choice and Aspiration – A strategy for young people’s information, advice and guidance

• http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode-=publications&ProductId=DCSF- 00977-2009

Statutory Guidance: Impartial Careers Education

• http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode-=publications&ProductId=DCSF- 00978-2009

Impartial Careers Education Statutory Guidance: Resources Pack

• http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF- 00066-2010&

TDA guide to careers-related IAG

• http://www.tda.gov.uk/teachers/iag.aspx

TDA career-related subject resources

• www.tda.gov.uk/teachers/iag/subjectresources

Impartial careers education: Principles into practice (National College, 2009)

• http://www.nationalcollege.org.uk/download?id=32435&filename=impartial-careerseducation-principles-into- practice.pdf

Impartial careers education: Effective leadership of information, advice and guidance (National College, 2009)

• http://www.nationalcollege.org.uk/download?id=32437&filename=impartial-careerseducation-effective-leadership-of- information-advice-and-guidance.pdf

To recap on the different 14-19 options available to young people, visit www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19.

www.nasuwt.org.uk May 2010 Teaching Today 17