A Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Strategy for Northern Ireland Response to Consultation Document by The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) welcomes the publication of this consultation document as an essential step in better meeting the needs of our young people in informing and developing their career options and aspirations. The Council considers the reappraisal of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) apposite as Government is about to make firm decisions on a Programme for Government which has Growing a Dynamic, Innovative Economy as one of its five priorities. 1.2 The Council has for some time expressed its concern at the apparent inability of Northern Ireland to translate its high levels of academic achievement into high status well paid employment. Similarly the focus of the curriculum and education system on the more academic subjects has contributed to a shortage of manufacturing, creative, technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills in the workforce. The stated and accepted need to make the economy less reliant on the public sector will require the private sector to be more expansive and competitive both locally and globally. Our young people need to be given a full appreciation of the economic profile and conditions as well as an understanding of how their own skills and attributes can be used to help them access their preferred career paths. Council believes that some of the proposals in this consultation document may better create the objective, specific and personalised information advice and guidance to produce better outcomes for the individual, for the economy and for society. 1.3 The response will be framed around the ten Consultation Questions on page 43 of the document. The perspective will be primarily from that of the schools sector with occasional comment on related areas. The conclusion will make some general points to connect the proposed strategy to wider developments and propose a small number of recommendations. 2.0 Question One Information Hub 2.1 The Council considers the Labour Market Information (LIM) to be a welcome and necessary element of any new arrangements. It believes that there needs to be multifaceted access to this information through a variety of mediums and platforms. Some of this information, particularly in relation to current and emerging skill or occupational needs ought to be promoted more generally to the public to reinforce the school and the careers service. 2.2 It is important that labour market data sources are rationalised so that the information is robust and consistent. This data needs to be both regional and local to ensure that the context is clear to the user and to schools, colleges and training organisations which can use the LMS to plan courses to meet, particularly local, needs. As access 1
to and competence in the use of the world wide web increases it will become an even more valuable platform. 3.0 Question 2 Provision of Careers Advice and Guidance for Young People 3.1 The Council welcomes the commitment to provide a specific focus to young people and adults vulnerable to social exclusion in framing a strategy for the provision of careers advice and guidance. It is pleased too that the approach will be consistent. It is regrettable that much of the good work in school based careers education can be underminned by advice to young people which is predicated on what the school can offer rather than what meets the needs of the young person. Council would hope that the advent of area based planning and a revised school funding formula to reflect collaboration rather than competition will support the proposed approach. 3.2 The Council would support the preference for the partnership model at 7.6.4 of the document as the best means of providing impartial advice and guidance. 3.3 Critical to any effective strategy is the modus operandi to be agreed between the various partners. Council would hope that planning and, if necessary, training for teachers, lecturers and professional careers staff will form part of the implementation process and that the necessary resources will be made available to provide this and any accommodation and IT hardware and software. 3.4 The Council believes that the proposed system of Area Based Planning for the provision of education services presents an opportunity to link this process closely to the establishment of Careers Resource Centres. While, in the first instance, these are intended for adults and are to be on a small pilot basis, the Council considers that, depending on the number of area bases these should be, overtime, considered for each area base. The integration of these with schools and colleagues in an area can both create a more inclusive dynamic between all those contributing to and benefiting from careers information advice and guidance. Such an approach will also build upon the Full Service element of the Extended Schools initiative to provide a more efficient and effective community service. 4.0 Question 3 and 4 Differentiated Levels of Service and Careers Advice to Adults 4.1 The Council is fully in support of the expansion of service levels to adults and of the proposal to take account of the DEL response to the Leitch Report. Such approaches will ensure that the advice and guidance is based on the economic profile and development needs of Northern Ireland. 4.2 The Council acknowledge the capacity driven hierarchy of service outlined at 7.6.14 and recognises that logic of a progressive approach. It is important that while there is differentiation there should also be flexibility for individuals who may have failed to benefit from, for example, a self-help approach. The Leitch Report emphasised the necessity of ensuring that specific Public Service Agreements (PSA s) did not contradict each other leading to, for example, some people having jobs but no skills or qualifications which did not lead to careers. It is essential that in using LMI and in providing advice that the individual receives developmental, long-term based advice and guidance not just a quick fix. 4.3 The Council looks forward to the evaluation of the current pilots in Belfast, Ballymena and the North West. 2
5.0 Question 5 Advice and Guidance to those Vulnerable to Social Exclusion 5.1 The Council agrees the desirability of the specific service levels to vulnerable adults and young people. It would consider, however, that there should additionally be a process of early identification and intervention for young people in the junior years of post-primary education. Such an approach will be primarily through teachers who should be assisted by the information contained in the Pupil Profile which is now being implemented in the primary sector and which will extend shortly into the postprimary sector. 5.2 Early intervention would be of specific value to those young people in Year 10 who are about to choose courses and subjects for Key Stage 4. Advice would need to be based on a thorough knowledge of both the impediments to potential future learning, including attitude, and on analysis of useful, motivating and accessible careers options. This may require access to courses or subjects beyond that which the host school is capable of offering. The working through of this strategy will require considerable liaison between the schools, colleges and training organisations at an operational level and DE, DEL and possibly DETI at a policy level, especially in relation to funding. 5.3 The Council accepts the differentials in the two targets groups but considers that an explanation of the division would have been helpful. 6.0 Question 6 Implementation of Quality Assurance Indicators and the Matrix Standard 6.1 The Council welcomes the proposals in relation to Quality Assurance standards and agrees in broad terms with the areas for evaluation and the quality indicators. This approach builds on and enhances the self-evaluative process in schools. 6.2 The Council supports the use of the Matrix Standard as a resource for continuous development of the service but has concerns that there does not appear to be any commitment to extend its use to the schools sector. Paragraph 7.7.8 refers only to recognition of the standard by DEL and its associated bodies. Council would like to see the Department of Education make a similar commitment to ensure the coherence of service provision and delivery standards. 7.0 Question 7 A Forum of CEIAG Delivery Partners 7.1 The Council recognises the value of the evidential base to policy development and service delivery and supports this strand of development. It is logical to ensure that the investment in resources is having the desired impact and that any changes in needs or performance can be identified and responded to. The key aspect is to match the extent and costs of the collection of administrative data as well as research to costs and benefits. A further issue is the effectiveness of sharing best practice not just across sectors but also across geographical areas. Departments, in establishing the network and processes relating to CEIAG, need to ensure policy coherence and consistency of standards with the emphasis being on how it works for the individual not how it looks to the service. 3
8.0 Question 8 Flag Ship Resource Centres 8.1 The Council would reiterate its comments in section 3 of this document in relation to the potential benefits of Careers Resource Centres. In principle it agrees with the proposal at 7.9.8 to seek expressions of interest from Cluster Groups of post-primary school in reasonable geographic proximity to each other. The Council would prefer that such clusters were in a formal Area Base Planning unit to exert the maximum potential benefit of collaborative working with colleges of Further Education, Training Organisations and employers as well as schools. The development of the CIEAG network will also be of assistance. 8.2 Council accepts that it may be some time before Careers Resources Centres will be available to all areas (assuming a successful piloting). It broadly agrees with the sentiment at 7.9.7 regarding the connectivity to Extended Schools but would remind the Departments that this initiative only covers about one third of schools mainly those service disadvantaged areas. It may be that some further strategies need to be examined for the short term. 9.0 Question 9 Work Based Learning, Opportunity for Staff 9.1 The observations of the ETI on the lack of appropriate specialist qualifications and professional development in a significant minority of schools is a cause for concern. It is reassuring that other sectors appear to have better arrangements. 9.2 The Council welcomes the proposal that there should be core initial training or a benchmark for all practitioners. It is essential that in any future arrangements the skills and knowledge of practitioners is continually updated. This continuous professional development should be reported as part of the Quality Assurance process. 9.3 The Council believes that with a more collaborative environment in schools many of the practitioners identified as satisfactory under current arrangements may need further training and development to provide the broader range of services in a more user-friendly and individually focussed approach. 10.0 Question 10 Alignment of Impartial Careers Information, Advice and Guidance to Economic Needs 10.1 This Council has been concerned for some time that many education practitioners, especially teachers, have not been sufficiently cognizant of the relationship between the education system and the economy. The emphasis since the 1989 Education Order on a common but academically focussed curriculum has, if anything, made this problem worse. These proposals do, in general, attempt to create some of the conditions to increase connectivity and deliver a more objective and informed service. In particular the use of labour market information at every level has the potential to provide a better context for young people and adults alike to make viable career decisions. 10.2 The Council does have a number of reservations which have been outlined in previous sections. There are, however, some structural and strategic issues which need to be addressed at the highest level to create the conditions necessary for the proposals to work effectively. Some of these are outlined below: 10.2.1 The division of responsibility between DE and DEL has the potential to disrupt efficient policy development and service delivery. 4
10.2.2 The Council, in the broader context of linking educational outcomes to economic and social need, is of the view that the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Industry (DETI), as the representative of the demand side and the body responsible for investment, should have overall control of Careers Information Advice and Guidance. 10.2.3 Council believes that the Public Service Agreements need to more clearly link and exploit the necessary connectivity of departments working together to create the relationships between education and employment through CEIAG. 10.2.4 The Council recognises that these proposals are process focussed but would have liked some reference to the specific advice required to promote entrepreneurism as opposed to traditional employment. While it might be argued that this is a specific aspect of career development and that it is accommodated within the strategy it might also be worth considering those specific aspects separately. 10.2.5 A further point, linked to 10.2.4, relates to the need for Northern Ireland to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is acknowledged that those subjects, necessary to the rebalancing of the economy often encounter negative perceptions amongst young people. Some of these are developed through the school system and, to some extent, by the understanding and perception of subject teachers, not just careers teachers. Council feels that it might have been of value to raise awareness of the STEM issue as on example of an aspect of information advice and guidance which needs to be more overtly promoted. These comments are intended to contribute to context and not to in any way undermine the impartiality of advice which, using labour market information, should support the need to promote STEM any way. 10.2.6 Council believes that the recruitment criteria set by employers, or Higher Education institutions, can have a significant impact on the course and subject choices which young people make and on the skills which they develop and display. For this reason Council would encourage employers and others to state more specifically their requirements rather than relying on a standard degree or 5 GCSE A to C approach. A more careful analysis of need would help the careers service, schools, young people and employers themselves. 10.2.7 Council believes that workforce development in schools and colleges needs to take more account of personal well-being and self-esteem. Advice and guidance is most effective when the personal skills and attributes of the individual are well understood and reflected in the process leading to career related decisions. 10.2.8 The Education for Employability element of Learning for Life and Work (LLW) which is now a statutory part of the Northern Ireland Curriculum at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 is a first step in ensuring the provision of a dedicated and more professional teaching resource for careers education. If Northern Ireland is to provide the quality of service of competitor countries such as the Republic of Ireland or 5
Belgium then every post-primary school should provide a full-time dedicated and qualified teacher for employability with the skills and knowledge to provide objective advice and guidance. 11.0 Conclusion 11.1 The Council regards this report as timely and relevant ahead of the finalising of the Programme for Government and the Budget for the next three years along with developments in creating a 14-19 policy for Northern Ireland. The strategy has, of course, relevance beyond the formal education system and extends to reflect the lifelong dimension of CEIAG. 11.2 The Council is disappointed that those proposals are aimed at 2015. The general feeling is of an urgent need for immediate action. Council believes that the draft document does not adequately reflect the extent and nature of the local skills shortage nor the limited contact which young people in the later year of schooling have with the workplace environment. There is also a belief that school business links are not recognised and valued in the document and that there is little to suggest that these will be exploited or expanded in the futuro to professional employment can be addressed in schools, colleges and higher education. 11.3 Council accepts that there are many potential difficulties in producing any strategies which require a significant partnership elements as well as training, continuous development, quality assurance and resourcing to provide both capital and revenue costs. It believes, however, that an effective CEIAG strategy is one of the essential capacity builders to a peaceful, fair and prosperous Northern Ireland. Council anticipates that the consultation will lead to changes in the proposals which may incur even further resources but it believes that any strategy which promotes a greater benefit in terms of a high quality economy and prosperous society from the investment in education and personal aspiration is not just worthwhile but essential. 6