UNISON Advice to Branches and Schools on Careers Guidance

Our careers professionals are vital to ensuring all young people get the good advice they need to make well-informed, thought-through choices and plans that enable them to progress smoothly into further learning and work, now and in the future.   Effective careers advice and support is key to improving social mobility and reducing inequality by helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds to raise their horizons and by giving them the support they need to fulfil their potential. UNISON believes that universal, all-age service  providing consistent, comprehensive advice including face to face guidance by careers professionals is essential to the future of our young people and the economy. This has to include face to face guidance.
 

Section 29 of the Education Act 2011 places schools under a duty to secure access to independent careers guidance for their pupils in school years 9-11. This applies to secondary schools, special schools and PRUs. Academies and Free Schools will be subject to the same requirements through their Funding Agreements . Careers guidance secured under the new duty must be presented in an impartial manner; include information on the full range of post-16 education or training options, including Apprenticeships; and promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given. UNISON recommends for reasons of consistency, quality, coherence and stability that schools are encouraged to collectively procure a careers advice service and that this be co–ordinated by Local Authorities.  A collective approach by schools for a careers service is preferable to individual bids.   This will lead to cost benefits and ensure consistency and coherence in the quality of the careers advice being given to schools. It will also be of benefit to the careers professionals as it will promote stability and consistency within the profession.

Launch of National Careers Service

Launch of the National Careers Service - the National Careers Service goes live on 5 April 2012, but there are significant question marks hanging over its ability to cater for NEETs, schools, students and adults.  The following issues remain to be resolved

·        The Youth Contract: what will it provide, who will it target and    how will it operate?

·         How can consistency,independence and impartial advice be sustained?

·         The Education Act: what will it mean for young people leaving school?

·      The guidance states that schools should work closely with local authorities who have an important role to play through the provision of SEN support services and section S139a assessments how will this be funded?   

Private and Third Sector Providers in the Careers Service

A number of private and third sector providers are now bidding for youth and careers services. It is essential that UNISON is alerted to this at the earliest possible opportunity. This is to enable branches to map membership and potential membership, plan organising campaigns, and negotiate for recognition, facility time and for members' TUPE rights.

Institute of Careers Guidance Press Release on Guidance to Schools

Institute of Career Guidance

News release

28 March 2012

Statutory guidance to schools on careers guidance

Statement by the Institute of Career Guidance

The Department for Education‘s Statutory Guidance to Schools was finally published on 26 March.

Steve Higginbotham, Immediate Past President of the Institute of Career Guidance (2010-11) says:

“The document is a peremptory and highly disappointing minimalist read which provides no assurances that most pupils in schools will have access to independent, impartial face-to-face career guidance delivered by appropriately qualified and experienced career professionals. “

Careers England Policy Commentary on Schools Guidance

Recent press notices (from Careers England and the Quality in Careers Consortium Board) have reinforced the three pronged approach we advocate in respect of careers education and career guidance.

With the publication today of the long overdue Statutory Guidance, and its minimalist nature, Careers England have been able to work with Tony Watts on getting into the public domain an authoritative commentary on what the SG covers and omits.

It has to be said that is a disappointing document; so much of the content which we truly believe would have been helpful to schools (especially Governing Bodies) has been left on the cutting room floor.

But there are sections we must work with and keep under the closest scrutiny – most notably sections 13 and 14.

Dame Ruth Silver (Chair of the QiCS Consortium Board), Steve Stewart (Chair of the Careers England Board)  and Careers England believe that we must campaign for the three pronged approach we have included in a number of press statements recently.

The documents attached are now being mailed to press contacts and to our wider networks. They are public so do please make use of them wherever you can too.

This SG is far what we hoped for, but it provides some of the marked out territory on which we clearly must campaign, and not give up.