Giving Career Advice to Students – What you Need to Know
So, out of nowhere, you’ve been allocated 'careers advice provision' as part of your job description – but where do you start? Ruth Sparkes has some pointers…
- by Ruth Sparkes
There’s general agreement that the quality of careers advice in schools is patchy. In fact I got so frustrated with the experiences of my son and his friends, I started a 14-16 magazine to help teenagers make good choices about their careers; Future magazine now goes into 3,000 schools and colleges throughout the country.
Why? Because the effect of poor careers advice can last a lifetime.
My son was lucky. I work in education so I was able to tell him about facilitating subjects, and was happy to ring university admissions departments to check things like is an EPQ really a good idea if you’re applying to read maths? Or, how important is the personal statement…?
But many parents rely on teachers to give good, up-to-date information. So, why don’t they?
Reach out
“One of the reasons we have 0-1% NEET figures, is I am absolutely committed to the school and students,” says Ginny Green, the careers lead at Bohunt School in Hampshire.
“Also, I’m an ex-recruitment consultant, so used to networking and sales. Unfortunately, not all schools have a ‘me’ and careers is either given to a teacher to arrange in an hour a week (on top of an already busy timetable) or it’s given to a part time member of support staff.”
So, what do you do if you’ve suddenly been given the responsibility of careers advice? Well, for a start, you could ask for expert support.
“A good partnership between a school careers lead with a bit of passion and an enthusiastic external careers adviser can be worth its weight in gold,” advises Alan Bullock, an independent careers adviser who has worked with over 70 institutions across the UK.
Theresa Petzold, an independent careers advisor who also works with Bohunt School suggests beginning with an audit.
“Identify what’s already happening in your school regarding important elements like work experience, visits from employers, careers events, visits from and to education providers like colleges and universities, and of course individual careers guidance for your students,” she says.
“Once you know what is already in place, you can start to compare existing provision to what you want to achieve. Make yourself familiar with the current government guidance, but also read wider than this if you can; for example read recommendations from professional bodies.
“There are also some training opportunities available for careers leaders in schools. The CDI (Careers Development Institute) for example offers the CDI Certificate in Careers Leadership, aimed at people new to the role or who want to gain accreditation for their experience.”
Connect and explore
Geoff Weller, careers coordinator at Hounsdown School in Totton, recommends getting to know your Local Post 16 providers.
“Not just sixth forms,” he points out, “but also training providers and local employers who provide apprenticeship/traineeship opportunities.
“Hold a Post 16 evening where local providers are invited in and parents and students visit ‘stalls’ in a Freshers style event. Invite local providers in to give assembly presentations; this is an excellent promotional opportunity for colleges who are ‘chasing’ students.
“And consider asking your main providers to hold College interviews in your school, especially for your vulnerable students who may find it difficult to go to an interview.”
Finally, Nikki de Bruin who runs Stride, an education enrichment partnership, offers these tips to help you excel in your new role as careers advisor:
1. Dispel stereotypes Start a session with a clean slate by asking students what their passion is. Ask – if you had to spend time finding out more about one particular topic, what would that be? For younger students, ask them what their dream job would be.
2. Skills check Ask students what their skills are: the ones they already have and are great at, and the ones that need improving.
3. Reasons for work Ask students what they want to get out of work (their core reason for working – financial, to help others, to become an expert, to have fun, to meet people etc.
4. Future proof Discuss how technology is impacting on future jobs and look at the kind of skills the workplace of the future would need. Think about the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Encourage students to look at careers where the human touch could never be replaced.
5. Career options and paths Only when you’ve discussed the above should you start to explore different career options; look at job families and students can manage a career path to get to where they want to be.
Ruth Sparkes is managing editor at Future Mag (future-mag.co.uk).
