Ensuring High Quality Careers Guidance:
Making the Most of Everyone’s Skills and Talents

Public Policy Exchange

Central London. Wednesday 14 November 2018

In December 2017 the Government published the long-awaited Careers Strategy, which envisages the creation of a thriving careers system that promotes social mobility. The new strategy is based around four key priorities: ensuring every school and college has a high-quality careers programme; providing opportunities for work experience; offering tailored support to students; and utilising appropriate sources of information about jobs and careers. It also aims for the appointment of a dedicated careers’ leader in every school and the creation of 20 careers hubs in disadvantaged areas. Moreover, the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills announced her ambition to achieve a shift in attitude, by raising the profile of apprenticeships. Additionally, she called for the Institute for Apprenticeships to speed up the process of approving new apprenticeship standards, following a sharp decrease in apprenticeships starts since the introduction of the levy.

Despite these positive steps, significant progress is still required to ensure that everyone receives high-quality information that guarantees opportunities for future employment. A recent report from Education and Employers (Drawing the Future, 2018) found that children’s career aspirations have little in common with the projected workforce needs. The report also revealed that children’s career aspirations are vastly influenced by people they know, as less than 1% have interacted with people from the world of work visiting their schools. Moreover, it highlighted the issue of gender stereotyping which starts from a very young age and tends to lead to gendered career aspirations.

In light of the release of the new Government strategy, this timely symposium provides an invaluable opportunity for careers guidance advisors, head teachers, education professionals and local education authorities to review the new strategy, identify gaps and priorities and examine effective strategies to enhance the role of careers information and guidance in securing better outcomes for all young people.

Delegates will:

• Evaluate the implementation of the Careers Strategy in its first year and identify challenges to overcome
• Assess the implementation of the Gatsby benchmarks
• Understand the importance of partnership working between schools and businesses
• Examine effective ways to overcome variability in quality of careers guidance provision across the country
• Determine how to overcome gender bias to enable pupils to make choices free of gendered stereotyped career choices
• Analyse the role and responsibilities of local authorities in encouraging, enabling and assisting young people’s participation in education and training
• Explore how to shift perceptions of apprenticeship and technical education

To view the Public Policy Exchnage’s brochure, including their full event programme, click here

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