When it comes to the youth employment landscape, careers education is a hot topic. Many young people say a lack of quality careers education is the barrier to their smooth transition from education to employment, and the research echoes this.
The latest youth unemployment data published by ONS suggests that youth unemployment has continued to fall over the last 2 quarters, and it is a long way off the peak numbers we saw in 2011 when nearly 22% of 16-24 year olds were NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). However, private equity foundation Impetus PEF warn in their Youth Jobs Index report that youth unemployment and underemployment could affect as many as 1.3 million young people.
This year alone we have seen enquiries by the joint Education and Business Select Committee, and the House of Lords looking into careers education. Both reports call on government to push reform in this area as a priority. Add to that a plethora of research and reports by private and charitable organisations.
Under Nicky Morgan’s leadership we saw the creation of the Careers and Enterprise Company with £20 million invested in improving what is currently a complex and confusing landscape. The Company has put together a national team of coordinators and volunteers from the world of business to join up local dots and improve employer links in schools.
Morgan and her department embraced the Good Careers Guidance report from the Gatsby Foundation. The Foundation spent time researching the landscape to come up with 8 key benchmarks for quality careers guidance:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
The Education and Employers Taskforce found that a young person who has more than 4 contact points with an employer during their school life is 5 times less likely than their peers to become NEET. This has been embedded into the work of the Careers and Enterprise Company, which many schools have embraced. However even with this new initiative, careers guidance can vary wildly from one school to another, leaving young people in a postcode lottery on the support they receive for one of the most important transitions of their young lives. It is also felt by many that without investment into schools it will remain an uphill battle to raise and level the standards.
The Gatsby Report looked at the cost feasibility of implementing the 8 benchmarks–
“The cost of implementing all the benchmarks in a medium-sized school outside London is estimated at £53,637 in the first year and £44,676 per year thereafter. This is equivalent to £54 per pupil from the second year onwards. This is less than 1% of schools’ budgets.” So far there has been no indication from DfE that any money will be forthcoming.
Beyond the work in schools Youth Employment UK (YEUK) wants to see provision for young people not included in the Careers and Enterprise Company target areas, and those who may have fallen out of the education system altogether. “Good careers support should be an entitlement for every young person in the UK” says YEUK CEO Laura-Jane Rawlings.
It has now been confirmed that the Careers Education policy DfE were working on before the government shakeup is now on hold. Some in the sector had high hopes for this policy, but it is unclear what the future will hold. Youth Ambassadors at YEUK have had input into what this policy would look like, and there are fears it will be lost in the new landscape at DfE.
With the new ministerial appointments now announced, YEUK are pleased to see that Robert Halfon MP has been given careers education and guidance in schools as one of his responsibilities as Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills.
We call on Justine Greening and Robert Halfon to step up to the plate and show support for quality careers education for all. We need to ensure they are up to speed on the careers education landscape, the issues and opportunities for young people, and the ways forward. Investment is needed, learning from the experts is essential and we urge you as our source at DfE urges “not to throw the baby out with the bathwater” and to build on the good that exists.
Further Reading:
Read our 2015 report on careers education
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