Lack of employer engagement part of the problem, inspectors find
The arrangements for providing vital careers guidance in schools are not working well enough, according to a new report by Ofsted.
Three-quarters of the schools visited by inspectors were not effectively implementing their new duty to provide impartial careers advice, the regulatory body said.
Ofsted also uncovered a lack of employer engagement in schools, which it said was affecting the ability to “broaden [pupils’] minds about realistic employment opportunities in their local area”.
The report examined the quality of careers advice provided since September 2012, when schools were given the legal responsibility to provide the service to students aged from 14 to 16.
Inspectors found that very few of the 60 secondary schools and academies they visited had the skills and expertise required to provide a comprehensive careers advice service.
Vocational training and apprenticeships were rarely promoted effectively – especially in schools with sixth forms, where the A-Level route remained the “gold-standard” for young people, their parents and teachers, said Ofsted.
There was also little promotion of the National Careers Service, the new body responsible for providing independent careers advice to people from the age of 13.
Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, said: “It is vitally important that young people have access to information on the full range of career pathways available so they can make informed choices about their next steps.
“It is worrying that the new arrangements are failing to provide good guidance or to promote vocational training options and apprenticeships. Given the high levels of youth unemployment – even amongst graduates – it is important the government, schools, local authorities and other agencies all work to improve the quality of careers advice in schools.”
The report recommended that the government provide more explicit guidance to schools around careers advice, and better monitor school leavers’ progress and journeys to employment through the accurate collection of ‘destination data’.
The National Careers Service should also market its services more effectively, and Ofsted should take greater account of careers guidance and students’ destinations when conducting future school inspections, said the report.
The CIPD expressed concern regarding the level of advice being made available to young people about how to navigate the world of work.
Katerina Rüdiger, head of skills and policy campaigns at the CIPD, said: “Many employers are keen to engage with schools, and where possible, schools have a responsibility to open their doors to them.
“However, it is important to recognise that there are wider systemic issues at play – greater investment is needed so that every young person has access to an independent careers adviser. Schools should also be incentivised to embed careers advice and guidance into their teaching programmes via targets that measure this, not just academic exam results.”
As part of its Learning to Work programme, the institute is encouraging HR professionals to volunteer to offer advice to local pupils about employability skills. So far, 2,000 HR professionals have signed up to help school and college students with their CVs and interview skills.