WIREDGOV

- Careers advice for young people up to 18 and at primary school -

- Mentors and improved work experience to help the most disadvantaged -

- Parents should coach kids early for careers - Sir Alex Ferguson -

A radical change in careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) has been unveiled today at a launch attended by Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls, Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United Football Club and Schools Minister Iain Wright.

The new IAG strategy launched today will modernise careers education to make it accessible for today’s generation of young people and to keep pace with a rapidly changing economy - and make sure every young person, whatever their background, can aim for the top.

The strategy sets out plans for:
• the Government's ambition that every young person will get careers education up to the age of 18 in line with raising the participation age
• piloting approaches to teaching about careers in primary school and plans for primary schools to work with universities to give younger pupils an experience of higher education and the wider world of work
• the ambition that every young person to have access to a mentor - two new national mentoring champions will help increase mentoring opportunities between schools, businesses and higher education
• bringing IAG into the 21st Century with better online access to careers advice through Facebook, You Tube, blogs and forums and a new dedicated online mentoring scheme from 2010 to enable young people to contact professionals online
• more help for disadvantaged and disabled young people in accessing work experience so that all young people -regardless of their background, ethnicity or gender - can realise their full potential
• provide support and resource for schools and parents to engage with young people from an early age to talk about career opportunities
• a £10M fund to support innovative ways of delivering careers education

New research published today shows that children at 11 have very high aspirations, with 75 per cent saying they want to go to university. Schools and parents need to work together to build on this level of ambition and get children thinking about higher education, especially those from homes where no members of their family have been to university before.

It is vital that parents and schools are setting out the options for children and young people whether they are academic and are looking to go to university or are more practical and want to do an apprenticeship.

The department is trialing career related learning in 38 primary schools this year. The trials will encourage pupils and parents to have the conversations about careers and education choices early, during the final years of primary school. This will help prepare young people to choose the right subject options at 14. Parents will be given help, support and resources to do this.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:

“A radical change is needed in the way careers advice and education is delivered. This strategy aims to do just that with schools and parents at the centre. Many people have anecdotal experiences of really bad careers advice and often say if they had their chance again they would have done something different. I want this generation of young people to be able to look back and say their careers advice and guidance was relevant and gave them informed options.

“Next week’s strategy sets out a new approach for schools. It brings together young people, those working in business and older peers. They are best placed to provide an understanding of all the different types of jobs they could do and the qualifications they will need to fulfill their ambition.

”Parents tell us they want their children to have the chance to succeed whether their strengths are practical, academic or both. That’s why young people today can choose between Diplomas, GCSEs, A levels, apprenticeships and university. And they will often make choices based on informal contacts from friends and family so parents play a vital role.

“There are many opportunities for parents to engage in their child’s career advice. End of year assemblies in primary schools provide a brilliant platform for discussing careers and education routes. I think this is a great way to introduce the subject, because we know it is often too late for children to start thinking about this at 14 when they are influenced from when they are seven, eight and nine.

“Parents tell us they want to see an end to the old boys network that means only children from privileged backgrounds get their foot in the door. My aspiration is that every young person will have a mentor so that they can get expert direction and all primary children visiting or finding out more about universities.

“This generation of young people look to the internet for knowledge in most areas. That is why we are investing more money in online advice and guidance so that we can deliver a truly 21st century careers education service.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager of Manchester United Football club said:

“When I was a young footballer my father insisted I did an apprenticeship. Without this advice and qualification I would not be where I am today. I think all young people should do apprenticeships if they don’t want to go to university or start working. They provide a real route into all sorts of work opportunities.

“All sorts of people can influence children in their career choices, but it is important that teachers, parents and businesses spot talent early on and nurture young people to achieve the best they can. Parents who want their children to be footballers know how important it is that they start playing young. But that’s not just true for football - if parents want their children to be doctors or lawyers then they should make sure their children get to see something of those careers as well.”

Manchester United player Ryan Giggs said:

“Mentoring was very important to my career, Sir Alex has been a mentor to me since I started out and has helped me not only in football but in my life. If young people can receive the kind of mentoring that I did it, it is sure to give them a good start in their chosen field and lead them to success.”

The new IAG strategy is informed and influenced by the important report ‘Fair Access to the Professions’ by Alan Milburn and his panel published this summer. The plans outlined today build on Milburn’s report and take forward the majority of the recommendations relevant to IAG.

The strategy also builds on the work of the Cabinet Office New Opportunities White Paper.

Today’s strategy also focuses on delivering better online IAG, including:
• IAG on Facebook, You Tube, blogs and other social networking sites
• improving Connexions Direct with moderated chat-rooms and web-cam facility so that young people can have face to face conversations with an advisor
• an apprenticeships website to help young people search and apply for apprenticeships online
• improved online information for parents, with dedicated pages for parents through Connexions Direct.

Businesses, charities and voluntary organisations are being invited to bid for a share of a £10 million fund that will support innovative approaches to delivering careers education and inspiring young people, particularly those from deprived backgrounds. This will include mentoring programmes, as well as access to work taster experiences and support for young people, regardless of their circumstances, disability or background.

Schools Minister Iain Wright said:

“Good careers advice is not delivered in a single afternoon and should never be a one-off event. We want IAG to be delivered from the end of primary school right up to 18 so that we build on the aspirations and ambitions that younger children have. If we engage them early on they are more likely to make the right choices throughout their education.

“We need careers guidance to keep pace with a changing economy – many of the types of jobs that will be in demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004. That means giving young people the most accurate and up to date advice, and giving them access to this instantly online. It is also vital that the new funding targets disadvantaged young people as they are most in need of mentoring and support.

“Our new Education and Employers Taskforce will be playing a vital role in improving links between schools and businesses which is essential for setting up the new mentoring and work taster schemes.”

Charlie Clare, Headteacher of Geoffrey Field Junior School, Reading, one of the trial primary schools, said:

“Good careers advice is a vital element in children being able to take control of their own futures. The primary age is the ideal time to introduce children to the wide variety of jobs that are out there, and this programme will open their eyes to jobs they might not have considered, and to the idea that colleges and universities are perfectly within their reach.”

David Cruickshank, Chairman of Deloitte and a Trustee of the Education and Employers Taskforce, will lead a review into the role of employers in the delivery of information, advice and guidance, identifying best practice and how employers can be effectively supported in this area.

David said:

"Providing our young people with high quality and relevant and Information, Advice and Guidance is vital. Employers have a key role to play but at present many are unsure about the best ways of doing this and schools don't always have access to the support they need.

“The review will examine what is working well, gaps in provision and the barriers and how these might be overcome. We want to be able to give young people insight into the full range of career choices open to them, to challenge the stereotypes, to tell them about what particular jobs are really like, and where the demand for jobs will be".

The strategy recognises that it is vital that there are enough well-trained careers professionals to support young people to make the right choices. Research published today shows that many careers co-ordinators receive inadequate training and support. The department is establishing a Taskforce for the Careers Profession made up of employers and careers guidance professionals. It will look at how to attract well-qualified people to the profession, and retain, support and motivate good careers professionals already in the workforce.

The department will also work with higher education institutions to develop new qualifications for careers leaders in schools. Statutory guidance published today for all schools and local authorities sets out how they must deliver impartial careers education. The new statutory guidance places a clear responsibility on heads to train and support all staff who deliver careers education and IAG.

 

Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'

1. The IAG strategy is published today at http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-00977-2009&

2. Research published today ‘Aim Higher: How young people formulate their views about the future’ and ‘Careers Co-ordinators in Schools’ can be found at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research

3. Amongst its many proposals the Alan Milburn panel suggested that the Government consider disbanding the Connexions service. As local authorities prepare for Raising the Participation Age and the transfer of responsibility for 16-19 funding, structural change could be very de-stabilising. However, IAG provision must improve and so local authorities are on notice that if there is no improvement the Government will not hesitate to implement further change. The Panel’s proposals therefore remain on the table and under active consideration. IAG services will be reviewed in 2011. If Connexions is not able to deliver demonstrable improvement against a range of indicators by then the department will take further action, including devolving budgets for careers guidance from local authorities to schools and other front line providers.

4. The new national mentoring champions will be appointed from the world of business and higher education.

5. The Department is trialing career-related learning at Key Stage 2 in 38 primary schools in seven local authorities – Bristol, Coventry, Gateshead, Manchester, Plymouth, Reading and York. The pathfinder schools are in the most in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, and will run from October 2009 until July 2010. The program aims to broaden horizons and raise aspirations of Key Stage 2 pupils by challenging the negative stereotyping that means some children from deprived backgrounds believe that universities and certain careers are out of reach.

6. The Education and Employers Taskforce, launched earlier this month, includes a number of major employers and all the main employer representative bodies - CBI, IoD, BCC, FSB. The Taskforce has been established to ensure that every school can have an effective partnership with employers that helps provide young people with the knowledge, skills, inspiration and motivation to achieve their potential. One area where schools and employers work together most effectively for the benefit of young people is on the provision of information, advice and guidance / careers. The findings of the review by David Cruickshank will be presented to the Taskforce Trustees and members of the Partnership Board and will then be published in the early summer 2010.

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk