Should Schools Have A Dedicated Careers Adviser?

The new statutory guidance on careers education, published by the DfE, was published at the start of this year. It reflects the government’s new careers strategy, and changes the ways that schools are expected to carry out their careers education.

One of the crucial changes of the new guidance is to introduce the requirement that every school must have a named ‘careers leader’ with overall responsibility for careers education in the school. It also enshrines the Gatsby Benchmarks into regulation, and requires that schools offer young people “seven encounters with employers” over their time in secondary education.

However, in the context of squeezed funding and increased pressures on schools, it can be difficult to see how to meet these regulations without additional funding. While many schools may be able to find resources for dedicated careers staff and careers events, for others it may be tricky to see where this extra resource is coming from.

One of the key strategies to help with this resource problem, according to Gerard Liston from SecEd magazine, is to tackle the Gatsby Benchmarks and careers regulations in a broader way. By including careers education throughout the curriculum and ensuring buy in to the project from subject teachers and the entire staff, you’ll be able to meet the careers requirements without needing a huge amount of additional resource.

It can take time to change the teaching culture of your school to include CEIAG throughout the curriculum. Teachers are under pressure to focus on attainment, and adding an additional burden to the curriculum is likely to be seen as adding work.

However, with support from a member of staff with responsibility for careers education, it’s possible to move towards a strategic set of careers projects which sit within a curriculum and provide opportunities for young people to have positive engagements with employers.

If you’re looking for help with your school’s careers education, the MyFutureChoice range of products can help. From early stage careers advice, with MyFirstChoices aimed at ages 12-14, to robust Higher Education support with MyCareerChoices, MyFutureChoice products can be used as part of every stage of your careers delivery.