Schools given guidance on careers

The Department for Education has published its statutory guidance for schools for the provision of careers guidance to young people in England.

Section 29 of the Education Act 2011 places schools under a duty to secure access to independent careers guidance for their pupils in Years 9-11.  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
• Promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given

Impartial is defined as: “showing no bias or favouritism towards a particular education or work option”, and independent as: “external to the school”.  Careers guidance refers to:

“Services and activities, intended to assist individuals of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make education, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers.  The activities may take place on an individual or group basis and may be face-to-face or at a distance (including help lines and web based services).  They include careers information provision, assessment and self-assessment tools, counselling interviews, careers education programmes, taster programmes, work search programmes and transition services.”

In welcoming the statutory guidance, John Hayes, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning said:

“The publication of this new statutory guidance marks an important step as schools prepare for the introduction of the new legal duty to secure independent careers guidance from September.  Schools will be expected to work in partnership with external and expert careers guidance providers, as appropriate, to ensure pupils get good advice on the full range of post-16 options.  The statutory guidance makes it clear that face-to-face careers guidance can benefit pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to make informed choices and successful transitions.”

The Education Act 2011 places schools under a duty to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance for their pupils from September 2012.  While complying with the requirement to secure careers guidance from an external source, schools will be free to make arrangements for careers guidance that fit the needs and circumstances of their pupils, and will be expected to work, as appropriate, in partnership with external and expert providers.

Key extracts

1. Schools have a role to play in supporting their pupils to make well informed and realistic decisions by providing access to impartial and independent information and guidance about the range of education and training options that are most likely to help young people achieve their ambitions.  This information will become increasingly important as young people will be required to participate in education or training until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17 from 2013, and to their 18th birthday from 2015.
2. It is for schools to decide the careers guidance provision to be made available based on the needs of pupils and the opportunities available. Schools should meet the costs of provision from their overall budgets, including the pupil premium.
3. The guidance will be reviewed by March 2013 following a consultation on extending the age range to which the new legislation relating to young people’s careers guidance will apply.
4. Once the duty on schools has been commenced, there will be no expectation that local authorities will provide a universal careers service.
5. The National Careers Service will be fully operational from April 2012. It will comprise a single website (from April) and telephone helpline number (0800 100 900) to which schools may wish to direct pupils.
6. Careers guidance must be presented in an impartial manner and promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given.  Careers guidance must also include information on all options available in respect of 16-18 education or training, including Apprenticeships and other work-based education and training options.
7. In fulfilling their new duty, schools should secure access to independent face-to-face careers guidance where it is the most suitable support for young people to make successful transitions, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who have special educational needs, learning difficulties or disabilities
8. Schools may work individually or in consortia/partnerships to secure careers guidance services.  Schools can commission independent careers guidance from providers engaged in delivering the National Careers Service or from other providers or individual careers guidance practitioners, as they see fit. Where schools deem face-to-face careers guidance to be appropriate for their pupils, it can be provided by qualified careers professionals.
9. The Skills Funding Agency will require providers of the National Careers Service to be accredited to the revised version of the Matrix Standard by April 2013. 
10. Schools should consider a range of wider careers activities such as engagement with local employers and work-based education and training providers to offer all young people insights into the world of work, and with local colleges and universities for first-hand experience of further and higher education. Schools are free to determine the most appropriate forms of engagement but might consider mentoring, workplace visits, work experience, work shadowing, enterprise clubs, employer talks and links with local Higher Education institutions.

Download the full guidance.

Tags: Apprenticeships, BIS, careers, Education Act 2011, John Hayes, Matrix Standard, National Careers Service, schools, Skills Funding Agency, work experience