The days are getting shorter, the football season is well underway, and young people across the country are returning to school, college and university. It won’t be long before many students will begin to think about their next move, whether that is GCSE options, A levels, an apprenticeship, degree course or work. But how many will have comprehensive careers information, advice and guidance to help support these choices?

I had a fairly traditional education, school, sixth form college and university. I then went straight into teaching and it was a number of years later that I started working at a further education college. I taught English as a foreign language, but slowly began to realise the other learning opportunities available. Where else could you study brickwork, hair and beauty, and plumbing alongside other students who are studying art and design, graphic design, and engineering? And the industry-standard motor vehicle workshops, music studios and kitchens need to be seen to be believed. I was fortunate too to spend some time working on a land-based campus, seeing students delivering lambs, learning how to drive a tractor and working on gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show.

Many school teachers are like me: school, university and back into school. Their experience, like mine, is A levels and university. So, when students ask for advice, they suggest that familiar route. However, this doesn’t suit everyone. I recently overheard a conversation where a mother was talking about how her son was keen to get some part-time work experience in a kitchen as he wanted to become a chef. She explained that this needed to work around his studies. When her companion asked if he was doing a catering course she replied that no, he was taking A levels. I had to bite my tongue not to interrupt and ask whether he’d had careers advice about catering at school, because he could have gone onto a college catering course or apprenticeship.

‘Inequality is where the problem lies’

Equality of access to careers education, information, advice and guidance is where the problem lies. Many schools have excellent careers programmes offering opportunities to find out about a range of job opportunities and further training, but this is not a consistent picture across the country. Sadly, not all young people have the opportunity to hear from employers and colleges about the technical and professional education and training that may better suit their career aspirations and learning styles. For some that means exams, others prefer hands-on learning opportunities. 

The recent House of Lords select committee report on social mobility recommends a gold standard in careers advice and comprehensive careers education, which allows young people to make informed decisions about their futures. We know that, in right theory, everyone must truly believe in the value of technical options. But in practice this requires young people, school staff, parents, carers and employers to all change their long-held beliefs for it to find traction.

In the UK we seem to value academic education above all others. Yet increasingly we hear of skills gaps at pre-degree level that are filled by graduates who have struggled to find graduate jobs. We also seem to forget about where we would be without mechanics, builders and hairdressers. Earlier this year the Government announced plans to introduce legislation that will mean colleges are given access to school pupils to talk about all the options available. But, even if this goes ahead, will these young people and their teachers and parents be prepared to ‘take a chance’ on a non-academic route? Colleges and employers must convince them that a technical and professional route will be just as valuable to them, if not more so, and that it is worth the risk to get a job at the end of the course.

The Sainsbury review could provide the answer. It aims to make technical education easier to understand by providing clear education and training routes into employment and higher level apprenticeships. Currently we have the bare bones of the plan, with more detail needed especially at levels 4 and 5, but it acknowledges the value of the non-A-level pathway into employment. The message must be communicated to key stakeholders using tools such as television and social media campaigns.

But by far the most important is that this messaging needs to be underpinned by a set of guidelines that all schools and colleges must follow. Because unless we educate the educators and they embrace the message we’re giving them, careers advice and guidance won’t be worth the paper it is written on.

Catherine Sezen is senior policy manager for 14-19 and Curriculum at the Association of Colleges

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