National Careers Council national-careers-council national-careers-council January 2013

Role of NCC Provides advice to government on a strategic vision for the national careers service and allied career support services. Unique role in reviewing careers policies across DBIS, DWP, DfE, SFA and UKCES In receipt of 65+ reports from national and international sources, including careers sector individuals and organisations ‘On track’ to produce a formal report to the Minister for Skills in May 2013

Examples of activities Informal discussions and meetings with interested parties involved in careers provision for young people and adults – website updated in early 2013 Formal written and oral evidence submitted to the Heseltine Review, Doug Richard Review of Apprenticeships and Education Select Committee Draft papers on ‘SROI’ in careers work; LMI; and some strategic options for NCS – work in progress Meetings with the Minister for Skills Two forthcoming activities planned by NCC (i) strategic focus on LMI (Jan 2013) & (ii) practice focus on ‘careers in action’ (April, 2013)

Plan for 2013 Proactive in proposing steps that need to be taken by Government and others to develop adequate career development support for our citizens Clear in identifying the strengths and weaknesses (and likely consequences) of Government policies in relation to such support Solution-focussed approach and recommendations

Examples of Challenges Funding and accountability measures Competition pressures Access to face-to-face guidance for under 19s Access to relevant ‘trusted information’ on labour markets Career routes and implications of RPA Consistency / variable quality / access to services Professional training and development for capacity building of intermediaries NCS ‘USP’ and its links to business and the wider careers support market – relationship and focus? Convincing Treasury and other officials of ‘ROI’ Making explicit the expected role of Government, employers and individuals A clear business case ‘all-age’ careers provision Success will look like Agreeing a future shared vision for careers work

Examples of Opportunities Demand for career development support given choices, complexity and competition Raising aspirations and injecting hope in a climate of cuts backs and austerity measures Feedback from employers –CBI, Education & Employers Taskforce, LEPs, British Chambers of Commerce, Heseltine, Holt, Richard and Education Select Committee Reviews New curriculum and employment-based routes – need to educate individuals to navigate successfully through evolving and new arrangements Returns on Investment – need to make it worthwhile for individuals to engage in learning and work Careers work - evidence and impact findings show positive returns for individuals, the economy and society. Links to high performing systems within and outside of England Strengthen the links between NCS, Businesses, Wider Careers Support Market, Skills, Social Mobility and Economic Growth Opportunities for institutions to determine own provision and rising demand for more information on destinations and career trajectories Opportunities for collaboration, maximising limited resources and innovation

Economic growth and social mobility Growth – Contributing to a flexible workforce – people thinking about their futures, what skills may be needed and with a source of information and advice to discuss how to prepare for future skills demands – Closing skills gaps – the FE sector is primarily, though not exclusively, concerned with closing skills gaps but a National Careers Service can ensure that learners are demanding the skills employers need – Realising potential – careers advice helps individuals to make realistic plans to realise ambitions and aspirations, releasing potential skills and contribution to the economy – Supporting local growth: local careers & employability professionals using local LMI to support growth in local economies.

Informed choices and learner demand – Quality: informed demand means competition as learners choose between providers. This will mean that providers want to be able to demonstrate higher quality on the measures that learners are seeking. That may mean higher success rates, or it may mean higher employment progression rates or other measures that learners want. – Responsiveness: providers are currently expected to respond to the demands of learners and employers. Where learners are better informed about the opportunities that are available to them, their demands can be clearer and providers can respond appropriately by delivering the courses they demand. – Better statistics: learners that have made more informed choices about their skills, course, qualification and provider are more likely to stay on the course and to succeed this improves retention rates and success rates.

Intelligence, Innovation and Impact – Innovation: where learner demand is clearly articulated and providers are in transparent competition to recruit, learners, providers will innovate to attract learners by enriching their provision with aspects that learners appreciate. This may include making additional information available to the market place such as employment outcomes, or more interactive learning environments. – Efficiency: in the context of 24+ Advanced Learning Loans having competition in the sector may lead to greater efficiency as money is channelled through learners to those providers that are most successful at delivering what learners want.

Careers services for adults: making a difference? A selected example: Next Step careers advice support – evidence on impact 55% of Customers who received Next Step Careers advice were in employment at the time of the receiving the careers support from Next Step, this rose to 64% six months following the intervention. Compared with a matched control group, not in receipt of Next Step services, who’s employment rate was 63% at the point that the support was given to the service customers increased marginally to 65% in employment six months on. Next Step had reduced the gap in employment outcomes to 1 percentage point; an 85% reduction in the gap between the 2 groups. After Next Step careers advice support the proportion of customers in receipt of JSA, which had been rising, reduced from 39% at the time of intervention to 21% six months following the careers support. The proportion of the control group who did not use the Next Step service claiming JSA was reducing and fell from 9% at the time the Next Step group received support to 8% six months on. A decline of 30 percentage points in the gap between the 2 groups; reducing the JSA dependency gap by 59% in the six months following Next Step careers support. Source: BIS research paper No. 97

Careers services for adults: making a difference For year olds the percentage increase in those in employment 6 months following careers advice support was 6 percentage points up from 54% at time of intervention to 60% 6 months later. The rate for those year olds not in receipt of Next Step careers advice increases by 2 percentage points from 63% to 65% 6 months later. The gap between the 2 groups is greatest at the time the Next Step customers access careers advice; it declines significantly by approximately 85% 6 months after they have their careers advice support year old JSA dependency peaks at 41% at the time they have their Next Step careers advice support, this drops to 21% in receipt of JSA 6 moths on. For those year olds not in receipt of Next Step careers advice the proportion in receipt of JSA falls from 10% in receipt of benefits to 8% 6 months on, the receipt of Next Step careers advice appears to reverse the downward labour market trajectory of Next Step customers in terms of benefit dependency, narrowing the JSA dependency gap by approximately 60% post careers advice. Source: BIS research paper No. 97

Careers services for young people: making a difference? Evidence and Impact £7 SEROI return for every £1 spent on independent careers & education services for disadvantaged young people going to university (Sutton Mobility Trust 2010) 26.1% of YP who could recall no contact with employers whilst at school went on to become NEET - 4.3% for those who had multiple experiences involving employers Of vulnerable young people in schools, following career service interventions 68% have shown an improvement in attendance; 48% have shown an improvement in behaviour A 1% increase in attendance leading to a 5% increase in attainment; evidence from work with vulnerable young people where careers interventions has led to an improvement in attendance (reachfor Right Track Project 2012) Careers guidance assists young people with the potential to disengage from education, employment or training to ‘stay on track’…particularly at key transition points in young people’s lives (NFER 2012) Careers guidance supports learning goals by enhancing student motivation, attainment and progression. It has been found to increase students’ aspirations, their levels of planning & readiness to transition and their levels of successful completion (Smith et al 2005) A major reason why students drop out of high school is that they cannot see a ‘clear, transparent connection between their program of study and tangible opportunities in the labour market’ (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2011).

NCC Work in Progress: Headline values & SEROI for careers work

NCC report due in May 2013 Feed into ongoing work Contact: Robert Canniff THANK YOU! Visit: careers-councilhttps:// careers-council