Career Homework

Changes to the current Education Bill are due to become law during 2012 and may significantly change the way schools offer careers advice, information and guidance to students about the world of work.

Schools will have to offer all students in years 9 to 11 ‘impartial and independent careers guidance, with the provision to look to extending it down to year 8 and up to year 13’. Additionally, and significantly, from September 2013 no student will be able to leave school at the end of year 11, meaning they will be aged 17 before they can take a serious dip into the world of work. It will be up to individual schools to decide how to offer the broad range of activities that constitute ‘careers guidance’. The requirement in the 1997 Education Act, for schools to provide a programme of workrelated learning may no longer be statutory.

This presents our next generation of students looking to develop their skills in the workplace with a number of tough decisions. The CBI recently reported that 20 per cent of young people aged 18 to 24 years are unemployed; fewer jobs are available and the option of further education with training is one of the available pathways for many young people.

Chris Jones, Manager of Sutton Education Business Partnership, which works with schools to prepare young people for the world of work, explained: ‘Looking at other routes into work is important; there are several options to develop skills in the workplace and to show employers what potential young employees have, rather than what qualifications they have. Currently most young people can undertake a programme of work experience. This is usually during Key Stage 4 (students are 14 to 16 years old).

‘Many young people are looking at different pathways, post 18. The cost of university fees is now a major consideration and many young people are asking “do I want that level of debt for a long part of my working life; and if I get a good degree will it guarantee me a job, anyway?”

‘Proposed changes include placing work experience post 16 years of age. It may no longer be offered to young people aged 14-16 and this may not suit all young people,’ says Chris.

Apprenticeships are one option, but they require the young people to be employed to support their training. In the present climate employers’ commitment is invariably lower than it has been, though, as Chris explained, there are a number of misconceptions about apprenticeships.

‘The idea that apprenticeships are all associated with the trades and “getting your hands dirty” is incorrect. There are around 200 different frameworks available, with many leading to the equivalent of a degree.’

A number of large organisations such as BT, McDonalds and British Airways, have particularly robust programmes of varied apprenticeships. More locally Sutton and Merton Councils actively offer good apprenticeship programmes in a number of frameworks and over the last three years between 30 and 40 employees have entered the workforce by this route. This is replicated across many London boroughs.

An alternative to apprenticeships are internships, these could be a way forward for some young people aged 16 -19 and form part of their training. Many organisations offer internships, where youngsters effectively learn from being in the workplace, but in some cases with only essential expenses being reimbursed. However, there is a risk that these can remain open-ended.

If work experience opportunities are likely to be reduced at K4S, schools still need to offer young people opportunities to develop an understanding of the world of work. Careers workshops, CVs and interview workshops, developing an awareness of employability skills, work in the community, volunteering and challenges are all good examples.

In many schools enterprise activities are a popular option. Students form and operate their own mini businesses in much the same way they would do in the real world.

‘Schools across the south London boroughs have been particularly successful, most participants develop important skills that employers value and in some cases young people have continued with their businesses after school,’ commented Chris.

Sutton Education Business Partnership is one of 30 similar brokers in London for education business links, providing work related work opportunities for young people www.sutton.gov.uk/sebp; www.apprenticeships.org.uk