Connexions, CEIAG and Bradford Pathways

Transcription

1 ROUTES TO SUCCESS Connexions, CEIAG and Bradford Pathways Part of Pathways to Prosperity, Preparing Bradford District for the 21st Century Matt Findull CBMDC

2 1. Background Bradford Pathways The aim is to embed the model in the education, skills and employment infrastructure in Bradford District and more effectively prepare individuals for changing business and economic needs. It will support young people into a wide range of high-wage, high-skills and high demand careers in sectors that are important in Bradford and the surrounding economies. The approach combines academic, employability, leadership and technical skills and enables young people to explore different career pathways designed around high-demand sectors and occupations, whilst gaining the real-world experience needed to compete and achieve success in education and the labour market. It works by facilitating collaboration between education, businesses and industry partners to align resources, build shared capacity and combine services to provide a range of interventions to the mutual benefit of employers and job-seekers. Ultimately it helps to fill positions that are available today, whilst closing skills gaps and preparing a flexible and skilled workforce for the changing needs of the 21st Century, including jobs that do not yet exist. Why we want to adopt it Experience in the USA where a similar approach has been adopted across the country has evidenced the following outcomes: High school students involved in this approach are more engaged, perform better and graduate at higher rates. It fosters greater post-secondary school completion and prepares students for in-demand careers. Investment yields big returns for state economies - In Washington for example, for every dollar invested in secondary CTE programmes, the state earns $9 in revenues and benefits. The approach addresses the needs of high-growth industries and helps close the skills gaps. What we aim to do We will work with all relevant stakeholders to develop and embed a framework customised to meet the needs of the Bradford District, its residents and its employers. The development of the approach across the whole of the education, skills, enterprise and employment infrastructure will be a long-term programme and be undertaken in phases. Ultimately it will involve the following: Career Sectors Career Pathways Programmes of Study Individual Learning Plans Personalised Learning Essential Skills and Knowledge The Bradford Information Advice and Guidance Partnership Since September 2012 Bradford Council and 30 education and training providers have held a jointly commissioned contract to meet each organisations respective statutory duties in respect of Information Advice and Guidance (IAG), NEET reduction and the Raising of the Participation Age. We believe in operating in this way we can achieve greater financial efficiencies than if we were all commissioning separate arrangements and secure high quality service provision.

3 This approach has been a success; an all-party parliamentary committee report highlighted the arrangement as an example of effective practice and the NEET rate in Bradford has consistently decreased, falling below 5% for the first time ever earlier this year. As would be expected participation data for the District has also been good at each point since the implementation of the Raising of the Participation Age that the DfE has reported data, Bradford has performed better than the national average in terms of the proportion of its young people meeting their duty. As this contract is in its final year, the Council will be working with partners to develop a new specification for service delivery to start in September There is thus an opportunity for partners to consider how the newly commissioned service could align with the development of Bradford Pathways. 2. Successful Careers Education and IAG Research from across the US in terms of what good careers guidance looks like within the parameters of the Careers and Technical Education framework there indicates a good deal of commonality with successful careers and IAG programmes globally. For example a 2014 report by Lord Sainsbury s Gatsby Trust based on practice in Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, Finland, Canada and Ireland all of which are acknowledged as leaders in this field had very clear parallels with the findings from a number of American states. The following synthesises a number of recurring themes from these international settings as key elements of successful careers programmes: A stable careers programme with effective documentation Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers, governors and employers. Each young person should have an individual plan and a portfolio helping them reflect on their progress, experiences and plans to address areas of weakness. Learning from career and labour market information Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information. Addressing the needs of each pupil Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout. Career guidance encourages students to take the challenging courses they need for their post-secondary plans, and then offers the resources to help them succeed. Linking curriculum learning to careers All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths. Encounters with employers and employees Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.

4 Experiences of workplaces Every pupil should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks. Encounters with further and higher education All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace. Personal guidance Every pupil should have opportunities for comprehensive guidance interviews with a career adviser. Students meet regularly in a small group with an educator-advisor (a teacher or other school staff member) and individually available whenever significant study or career choices are being made and students typically stay with the same advisor until the transition to their next phase is complete. Parental education and engagement Debunking myths, addressing stereotypes and ensuring parents/carers understand LMI and the future workforce to support and inform the decisions of their children. Good practice in the US has seen students sharing their achievements, dreams, and plans with their advisors and families at an annual conference the student leads. The conference is tied to course registration, involving families in their students academic plans. Data Collection Education providers should collect data on a number of different indicators to measure student success. Results in the US show that students who fully participate in a guidance curriculum program take more advanced courses, graduate at higher rates, and are more likely to pursue a college degree or industry certification. Programme Management Implementation of a career guidance program is central to the career and college readiness mission of the school and is recommended as a component of any school improvement plans. The program leadership team should include an administrator, adviser, and teacher(s) who meet on a regular basis to collaborate program planning and implementation using data analysis. 3. National Policy and Accountability Mechanisms Recent Government guidance is clear that IAG must inspire young people and raise aspirations, and there are also certain accountability frameworks pertaining to careers education and IAG. Under the latest iteration of Ofsted s Inspection Handbook for schools, the grade descriptors for Good and Outstanding for both Outcomes and Post-16 study programmes elements of the inspection include clear reference to Careers, the effectiveness of IAG arrangements and the destination of the young person upon leaving Key Stages 4 and 5. In addition, Destination is one of the five headline measures in the new accountability framework and pilot data for destinations from Key Stages 4 and 5 has been published for previous years. The Destination measure is based on sustaining a destination for at least six months and evidently the effectiveness of the IAG and careers provision available to young people will be a significant factor in the ability of a young person to identify an appropriate option and sustain their engagement with it. Historically we have done very well in Bradford in meeting duties around the September Guarantee and securing an initial destination for our Year 11s.

5 We do know, however in previous typically the number of young people who start Year 12 in a sixth form is between 25% and 30% higher than the number who are still there at the start of Year 13. Some of this will be planned, however some will clearly be from dropout. Recent funding changes also increase the importance of making the right decision first time around. Academic age 18 year olds (Year 14) now receive17.5% less funding than an academic age 16 or 17 year old on the same course, clearly this poses issues for institutions working with young people who have left their initial post-16 destination particularly as funding for year olds has been decreasing nationally for a number of years. Institutions also have a retention factor in their allocation which serves to depress funding where young people leave their core study aims early. 4. An Outstanding Approach A recently presented case study from an Ofsted-rated Outstanding school in the East Ridings discussed a number of factors around embedding Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and ensuring it is everyone s business. Of particular significance it highlighted the following points. Clearly a number of these resonate with the earlier points highlighted in international research into good practice and demonstrate their applicability to the English state school system: Having a dedicated careers lead responsibility on the Senior Leadership Team Teachers, students, parents/carers, governors and local employers having a shared understanding of what CEIAG is Tailoring your curriculum Investment in extra-curricular provision that will support development of young people in line with their career aspirations and goals Make it coherent, make it easy and above all make it inescapable Seeking out strong partners governors, etc who can inform thinking and curriculum planning Developing deep relationships with employers This has had the following impact: In the words of the Head, It just makes our school better and it means we do what is best for our students Keeps Ofsted satisfied Provision is tailored to what their students want but more importantly to what they need to be able to succeed in the job market 100% not-neet leaving Year 11 and working towards this leaving Year 13 The school has people who keep them up to date with a changing world and local/global labour markets Deeper understanding for their young people of the workplace all students on A Levels have a programme that includes an internship and mentoring 5. The Workshop Research indicates that young people entering the labour market this year will undertake 5 to 10 job/occupation changes in the course of their career. This presents significant opportunities to this generation but also is clearly a threat to their long-term life chances if we do not get the basics right in terms of employability and their ability to self-actualise and plot realistic (but not unambitious) career progressions. This workshop seeks to explore how, within local and national commissioning frameworks and policy parameters we can deliver the type of CEIAG that is necessary to underpin Bradford Pathways and delivers what our young people need to meet their aspirations in the local and global economies.