Careers education and guidance for pupils
As a result of the changes at Key Stage 4, young people will be making choices from a broader range of options. They will be making these choices earlier, at 14, and focusing on outcomes at age 19, rather than 16. They will need access to additional support and guidance to help them do this.
Changes to careers education
In recognition of the need to provide young people with timely advice
and support, the Department extended the duty on schools to deliver
careers education down to Years 7 and 8. Young people need to develop career
management skills earlier so they are better prepared to take their first set
of key decisions (their Key Stage 4 options) during Year 9. This
came into force in September 2004.
Support for careers education
All schools currently have a duty to provide a planned programme of
careers education through the curriculum to all young people in Years 9 to 11.
This is designed to give them the skills they need to manage their own careers,
and be able to:
-
investigate learning and career opportunities
-
make informed judgements about learning and career options
-
understand how these choices will help them to achieve their aspirations
-
enable them to successfully manage key transition points.
To drive up the quality and consistency of career education programmes, the Department has issued a national framework for careers education, with recommended learning outcomes for each stage. It covers the 11 to 19 age range, and includes support to post-16 learning providers to continue to develop young people's career management skills in post-16 provision.
The Department is also developing further measures to improve the quality of careers-education programmes, including:
- establishing a national support programme to develop information and services to promote, support and improve careers education in schools and colleges within a policy framework of Connexions
-
the CEG Support Programme develops innovative classroom materials for use by careers education practitioners. Materials can be obtained from the Cegnet website.
Connexions
Alongside the support from school-based staff, individually tailored
and impartial advice and guidance is available from the Connexions service.
Connexions is available to all 13 to 19-year-olds, with a particular focus on
giving extra help and support to those with barriers that represent a risk
to participation and achievement in learning.
The following publications are available to order:
-
Which Way Now? (Year 9)
-
It's Your Choice (Years 10 and 11)
-
Accompanying Guide for Parents and Carers 2006-07
These publications will support and complement 14 to 19 reforms by providing an authoritative national overview during a period of change, and providing comprehensive impartial information to support and assist young people in their decision-making. This will be of particular importance to parents and carers as they learn about the wider choices available to their children. To order, contact DCSF publications on 0845 6022260, or email connexions@prolog.uk.com.
Connexions Partnerships also offers advice and support to schools, colleges and work-based training organisations on the design of curriculum programmes. In addition, they provide INSET support to staff based in schools, colleges and work-based training organisations on careers education and guidance issues.
Supporting Individual Progression
The processes schools use, and the staff involved in supporting
personal, planning and progression will vary depending on the needs of the
students in each school and at each key stage.
Students in Key Stage 3 need help to:
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assess their achievements, interests and aptitudes
-
learn how to develop plans
-
formalise those plans into a written document
-
put the plans into practice as they progress into Key Stage 4
-
ongoing support through the 14 to 19 phase as they make decisions at each transition point.
Get Set for Life
The Get Set for
Life advice website from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) encourages young people
to achieve the minimum set of qualifications they need to get on in life, get a
better job and earn more money. There is an annual Get Set for
Life competition, which offers young people aged 16 to 18 the chance to win
aspirational work placements in industries where a minimum level of
qualifications is essential. For example, placements in 2007 include a week at
Rick Stein's restaurant, Everton FC, Sugar magazine, as a
sports journalist for Sportsbeat, backstage at the Royal Shakespeare
Company and working for record company Sony BMG.
Page updated: 12 July 2007
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