An update on Careers Strategy?
We were invited to Westminster Academy yesterday to hear Robert Halfon’s latest announcement on careers strategy.
The Industrial strategy green paper released last week refers to the need of a highly skilled workforce in the UK to fare in a competitive economy. To do this, according to Halfon we must have high quality careers advice. Careers advice and guidance is the first rung on Halfon’s ‘ladder of opportunity’. To keep climbing that ladder it has to be built from a strong foundation, careers advice must be stronger and better. There were no timeline updates today, just rhetoric of a desire to build a lifelong careers plan that works for everyone.
Everyone should have the opportunity to progress
According to Halfon the conditions are right for transformation, the technical education strategy and apprenticeships agendas are underway and moving in the right direction and we are in a position to look at careers and opportunities of the future. Halfon spoke of a desire to root his careers approach with social justice- everyone should have the opportunity to progress. To realise this Halfon wants to build on what works, spread good careers advice more widely and ensure the pockets of good grass roots work continue to grow.
The Careers and Enterprise Company
According to Halfon the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) are at the forefront of this, with £90 million in investment so far. Haflon stated that we are beginning to see the benefits of this investment, confirming that there are 80 Enterprise Coordinators currently in place and 1,300 enterprise advisers. There is an ambition to have 25,000 young people mentored by employer partnerships by 2020. The CEC and Lord Young are working on a ‘passport for life’ a digital passport for monitoring skills and activities. The work of the National Careers Service providing support for adults was also referenced.
Any careers strategy will work with the CEC, the National Apprenticeship Service and the National Careers Service. It will encourage co-creation and drive the right outcomes, it will look to increase the amount of grass roots activity taking place that is working, in Halfons vision.
Where next?
Halfon spoke of:
- Wanting to improve the prestige of careers advice and the perception of careers provision. Ensuring high quality careers advice as a priority
- Supporting all people in to meaningful skilled employment
- Realising this ambition with a comprehensive careers strategy for all ages published later this year.
- Quality and quantity. Ensuring quality advice is given to everyone. A look at why some schools do careers well
- Ensuring that destination measures are included in school league tables
- Ensuring all schools offering careers advice and guidance
Gatsby
Good Careers advice and guidance will follow Gatsby, according to Halfon. No doubt this will form a key part of the careers strategy, Halfon encouraged the use of the ‘excellent’ compass tool made available.
Parity for Technical and Academic Education
It is Halfons desire to build a stronger and better system of careers and guidance, one that meets the needs of the workforce and that prepares people with the skills that employers seek. There is work to do to change the way different career paths are viewed and levelling the playing field between technical and academic education. This should allow people to better understand the opportunity and to make better confident and informed choices no matter what route they choose.
Closing remarks
There is a need for a careers system that nurtures all young people from all backgrounds, involves employers and provides high quality careers advice to support meaningful employment and prosperity
Careers is vitally important, it isn’t a stand alone activity though
Our thoughts – From YEUK CEO Laura-Jane Rawlings
We have been lobbying this government to improve the quality of careers education ever since the devastating cuts made under Michael Gove to the duty upon schools and Connexions. Since 2011 and some will argue well before then careers education has been poorly done and been unsupported by government. If as a young person you get good careers education today you are in the lucky minority.
We believe in what the Minister says about opportunity for all and want to see every young person in the UK have the access to the careers support they need.
As we feel the impact of apprenticeship and technical education reform we will need quality advice more than ever. We could not agree more.
However, the Minister has had this brief for more than 6 months, prior to that much work had been done with DfE and the civil servants around this agenda, it is disappointing to hear he needs yet more time. Speaking of more time is it still fair to say the CEC is new, the chair was appointed in 2014, with £90million invested in this area, the majority with the CEC I wonder if the impact the Minister is seeing is being felt by all young people? Particularly when you include young people who are not in mainstream secondary schools and now attend colleges, training provision or other youth services.
If you consider just from the point of 2011 that careers support has been poor, we have now had 6 years of no clear, decisive, impactful strategy, good enough?
What do young people really want?
As part of our work for the All Party Parlimentary Group for Youth Employment we are surveying young people on their transition process. Just one example of what young people are looking for is:
Career prep should be a part of the curriculum. This should include tips for budgeting, opening help to buy ISAs ect. Things such as CV tips, interview tips, application process and completions should be done within schools.
We will make sure that our findings are shared with the minister.
If you would like to contribute to the survey you can:
Give your views as an organisation, training provider or college
