Steps to improving careers guidance in schools
Find out what goes into effective CEIAG in schools, including support for careers sessions, lessons, resources and events.
Successful careers guidance in secondary schools supports young people from Year 7 up to the age of 18 (25 for those with SEND) and includes individual support for every young person to ensure that they maximise their careers journey.
C+K Careers delivers a range of matrix-accredited services on behalf of schools, colleges, local authorities and employers across West Yorkshire and the Humber. We directly employ level 6 IAG qualified careers advisers who work within schools to deliver CEIAG Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance.
What does an effective CEIAG strategy look like?
Within schools, effective CEIAG includes careers guidance sessions, lessons, resources and events. The strategy is tied to curriculum areas and DfE and Ofsted benchmarks for CEIAG, and success is measured by monitoring data around careers interventions and outcomes.
What a CIEAG strategy includes:
• Individual careers guidance with young people.
• Group careers guidance sessions.
• Interactive careers events.
• Personal development activities for young people.
• Specialist targeted support for vulnerable/SEND students and NEET young people.
• Reporting the impact of careers interventions.
• Narrowing the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups.
• QiCS assessment to ensure careers programmes meet the Gatsby benchmarks.
• Local, regional, and national labour market information.
• Employer engagement activities and work experience programmes.
‘Our Careers Adviser was so helpful, she helped me decide on the biggest decision in my life’ Year 11 – Kirklees
What are the benefits of working with a CEIAG provider for schools?
Careers education should sit alongside the wider curriculum, working to build a picture of potential career opportunities and pathways for young people. Having a defined CEIAG strategy ensures school staff know how and when to share careers information.
As a CEIAG provider, we provide schools with specialist support to establish and measure the success of their CEIAG strategy. Our careers advisers work within schools to deliver careers guidance and interventions, and track data to measure outcomes.
We help schools by:
• Supporting careers leaders and teachers.
• Working 121 with pupils and parents.
• Providing impartial specialist insights.
• Measuring impact and outcomes.
• Providing a personal service.
How we do it:
Our support for schools is personalised, and you work with your C+K careers adviser to tailor the programme to suit your students, parents and staff. It may include:
1. Support school in devising lesson plans, materials and displays linking careers to each subject area for teachers to use in class and support teachers to deliver.
2. Ensuring all interventions are recorded to track young people at ‘risk of NEET’ (RONI), at ‘risk of drop out’ (RODI), and support transition to post 16 destinations.
3. Providing monthly data to DfE and accurate live reports on destinations to schools and colleges as required.
4. Providing advice and support to curriculum areas and support schools to improve performance against DfE and Ofsted benchmarks.
5. Advise on meeting the requirements of the Statutory Guidance and Gatsby Benchmarks.
6. Support with completion of the Compass + tool and share best CEIAG practice.
7. Support the school in achieving the Quality in Careers Standard.
8. Keeping the school up to date on Labour Market Information (LMI), providing updates at staff briefings and termly emails.
9. Working closely with the Careers Enterprise Company to develop employer links.
10. Sharing information on destinations with the Local Authority to inform priorities and evidence impact.
11. Evaluating the effectiveness of 1:1 guidance interviews and evaluating service satisfaction.
‘C+K Careers staff have made an invaluable contribution to the careers programme during the academic year…. The support (C+K Careers Advisers) have given me as the Careers Leader has not gone unnoticed and without doubt ensured we achieved the Gatsby benchmarks’ Careers Leader – Calderdale School
We hope this has given you a useful overview of our careers services for schools and colleges. For more information on how we can deliver personalised careers services in your school or college please contact Joel Robinson, Business Development Manager on 01484 242000 or email enquiries@ckcareers.co.uk.
