Employers say partnership working the only way to get careers guidance in schools and colleges right
A joint statement by the Careers Alliance is published today with the support of a wide range of employers and sector bodies, including Atkins, Capgemini, Deloitte, National Grid, Siemens, Wates, the ACCA, the Bar Council, the Chartered Management Institute, the ICAEW, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Federation for Industry Sector Skills & Standards, Creative & Cultural Skills, and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation amongst many others.
It calls for collaborative action between professional careers advisers, employers and schools and colleges in providing careers advice and guidance to young people by:
- Highlighting the importance of careers education and guidance in schools and colleges.
- Framing employer contributions as part of professionally managed careers programmes and not as ad hoc initiatives.
- Affirming that, working together within a planned careers programme, employers and career professionals can provide far more effective help to young people than either could do on their own.
Employers, professional bodies and Sector Skills Councils have challenged Government policies by supporting the Careers Alliance statement. This contrasts with the Government’s latest Statutory Guidance to schools which has emphasised contributions from employers and people in jobs to inspire and motivate young people in schools and colleges about the world of work, but makes little reference to the role of careers advisers, nor explains how such links between employers and schools and colleges can best be brokered.
Getting the balance right beyond inspiration
Commenting on the campaign, Dame Ruth Silver, Chair of the Careers Alliance, said: ‘There remains a disconnect between education and the world of work. Our joint call with employers shows that collaborative action is the best solution; employers say they can’t do it all on their own. Employers endorse this call by the Careers Alliance for partnership working to get careers guidance in schools and colleges right.’
Professor Tony Watts, a leading international expert on career guidance said: ‘If employer contributions are to be effective, they require logistical support, curriculum space, and receptive schools and young people. They also need to be an integral part of well-planned careers programmes.’
Commenting on the Careers Alliance statement, Dr Tessa Stone, CEO of Brightside and Chair of the Bridge Group, said: ‘The employers we work with are actively engaged in working with schools and colleges. They value the role of professional careers advisers in managing careers education and guidance programmes within schools which incorporate and support the contributions of employers and people at work, so enhancing their value and ensuring their effectiveness.’
The Careers Alliance report concludes that employers (and people at work) and careers advisers both have distinctive and complementary contributions to make to the career development and career planning of young people. Working together, within a planned programme of careers education and guidance, they can provide far more effective help to young people than either could do on their own.
CSSA BN13A Employer Support for CSSA Statement
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June 16, 2014 at 12:47 am
The National Careers Council report to Government (2013) and the Chair’s role in UKCES on careers policy clearly sets out the importance of professional careers advisers working with employers, schools, colleges and universities. We called for a culture change in careers provision – https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/205147/bis-13-919-national-careers-council-report-an-aspirational-nation-creating-a-culture-change-in-careers-provison.pdf
A ‘One Year On’ report to Government is in progress. The Council is gathering intelligence to inform the report and is current working on a ‘Careers Heat Map’ across England. Fiona Kendrick, CEO, Nestlé (UK and Ireland) has kindly sponsored this activity. The Council is also working on the added value proposition for careers work.
Readers may also wish to look out for a forthcoming UKCES publication on ‘Precarious Futures? – Youth Employment in an international context’. Fiona Kendrick will launch this on behalf of UKCES on 24/6/14. It makes for an excellent read.
Dr Deirdre Hughes, Chair, National Careers Council & UKCES Commissioner.
June 16, 2014 at 6:33 am
Reblogged this on Adventures in Career Development and commented:
A joint statement by the Careers Sector Stakeholder Alliance and a number of employer bodies highlights the importance of close working between careers professionals and employers.