Member Article

Does the National Careers Service go far enough?

The Government has launched the National Careers Service, amid concerns over the effectiveness of helpline and website advice.

The new service will provide information and advice for approximately 370,000 young people through a helpline and website, and offer face-to-face advice to 700,000 adults each year, in a range of locations.

Skills Minister John Hayes, said ““With competition for jobs more fierce than ever, now is the time to introduce a careers service that will deliver on its promise.

“The National Careers Service, universally available to people at all stages of their careers, has the very best interactive tools on its website and the highest-quality advisers, committed to the noble cause of helping others fulfil their aspirations.

“Making available the right advice at the right time and in the right places is to strike a blow for social mobility, social cohesion and social justice - a society that encourages people from wherever they start to journey to the destination of their dreams.”

However, despite celebrity endorsements, many see the scheme as a poor alternative to the Connexions service which has been phased out since last year.

Mark Ravenhall, NIACE’s Director for Policy & Impact, said: “NIACE is particularly concerned about young people between 16-19 years old, who are not yet eligible to take up the face-to-face offer.

“The impact of this is likely to be most acutely felt by those who have benefited least from their education to date and are in greatest need of help to establish a successful path to learning and work.

“NIACE would like to see access to career guidance as an integral element of emerging policy to tackle the issue of youth unemployment and to see colleges and training providers offering access to face-to-face provision for those who want it as an integral part of their programmes for this group.”

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders commented: “ASCL remains concerned that this new service does not do enough to help young people or schools, which will have increased responsibility for careers advice come September.

“The government has missed the opportunity to put in place a truly comprehensive service which ensures that all young people are able to make the best career choices.”

“Although the Careers Service provides a telephone helpline and a website, what is missing is access to impartial face-to-face guidance from a qualified professional. This is a necessity for many young people, particularly in a period of rising youth unemployment and with a bewildering range of routes towards further education and training.”

“The DfE statutory guidance commits schools to a minimal level of provision without adequate resources, support or funding. ASCL has been working closely with the careers guidance associations to ensure that clear quality standards for independent providers are in place but in the meantime schools are left dependent on a free market of variable quality, without a clear means of distinguishing the cowboy outfits from high quality companies.”

“ASCL strongly believes that the remit and funding of the National Careers Service should be extended to ensure that all services for under 19-year-olds meet the same quality standards as those for adults.”

Dr Neil Bentley, CBI Deputy Director-General, said: “We need to inspire people, especially young people, about career options and all the job opportunities that are open to them.

“It’s a good idea to bring together high-quality, practical information on a national careers website, to help them make informed decisions about their future.

“But, for the NCS to be truly effective, it must have a programme of continuous engagement with businesses to ensure that impartial careers advice and guidance is always up-to-date and relevant.

“The business community has an appetite to play a bigger role – CBI research shows that over half of companies want to be more involved in delivering careers advice.”

A statement from BIS said: “Schools will be required to secure independent, impartial careers guidance for their pupils and the Department for Education has published statutory guidance to help schools discharge this duty.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .