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This publication offers a brief insight into the wide range of activities the iCeGS team are involved with over the year. It explores our contribution to policy, research and practice within the career development sector both in the UK and wider afield. iCeGS Annual Review also gives the team an opportunity to reflect on our many achievements over the last year. This year, like other years, we feel particularly proud of several activities.

This report presents an analysis of a range of transnational and national quality assurance (QA) practices in career guidance within partner countries, 21 quality activities were assessed. The report focuses on identifying the variety of different approaches, the factors that enable these approaches and the impact of these different approaches.

This report presents an analysis of a range of transnational and national quality assurance (QA) practices in career guidance within partner countries, 21 quality activities were assessed. The report focuses on identifying the variety of different approaches, the factors that enable these approaches and the impact of these different approaches.

The review identified an international body of work on the development and implementation of competency frameworks in reaction to CMS, including the ‘Blueprint’ frameworks, which are a series of inter-related national approaches to career management skills (originating in the USA and taken up subsequently, and with different emphases, by Canada, Australia, England and Scotland). There is, as yet, little empirical evidence to support the overall efficacy of CMS frameworks, but they have the advantage of setting out what needs to be learned (usually as a clear and identifiable list of skills, attributes and attitudes) and, often, how this learning is intended to happen. The international literature emphasised the iterative nature and mixture of formal and informal learning and life experiences that people needed to develop CMS. It suggested that, though there was no single intervention or group of interventions that appeared most effective in increasing CMS, there were five underpinning components of career guidance interventions that substantially increased effectiveness, particularly when combined. These included the use of narrative/writing approaches; the importance of providing a ‘safe’ environment; the quality of the adviser-client relationship; the need for flexibility in approach; the provision of specialist information and support; and clarity on the purpose and aims of action planning. The review also identified a possible emergent hierarchy around the efficacy of different modes of delivery of career guidance interventions on CMS development. Interventions involving practitioner contact and structured groups appeared more effective than self-directed interventions or unstructured groups. Computer-based interventions were found to work better when practitioner input was provided during the intervention or when they were followed up by a structured workshop session to discuss and review the results.

The LEADER Framework for Careers sets out five main areas that all citizens should attend to as they develop their careers: personal effectiveness; managing relationships; finding and accessing work; managing life and career; and understanding the world. Under each of these five areas the framework details a series of career management skills. These career management skills provide tools for educators to focus their curriculum, for counsellors to shape their interactions with clients and for policy makers in considering what programmes to fund or promote. The LEADER Framework for Careers has been developed by the LEarning And Decision making Resources (LEADER) project. This Erasmus + project has been established to support lifelong learning guidance services to help individuals to develop career management skills. Career Management Skills (CMS) is the term used to describe the skills, attributes, attitudes and knowledge that individuals require in order to manage their career. The project has been undertaken by a consortium of European organisations drawn from Italy, Spain, Romania, Greece, Turkey and the UK.

This paper reports on the findings from a review of the literature relating to the brokerage role of career guidance services. The review initially identified over 15,000 papers for possible inclusion and a systematic process was applied which sifted these down to only the highest quality research papers with direct relevance to the research question: How is effective brokerage between education and employers organised?The review found that much of the research in this area is based on organisations with a sole remit for brokering the links between employers and education. Their funding and delivery models were, in most cases, quite different to that of the current National Careers Service. The studies also focused on the perceived impact and benefits of the links between employers and educational institutions, with rather less evidence on the pre-conditions for such links or on the ways in which they could best be engendered and supported. Nonetheless, the research highlighted the wide-ranging benefits these links can have for both parties, with impacts on: • Schools, colleges and pupils such as: improved motivation and attainment; contextualisation of learning; reduction in NEET; greater understanding of industries and educational pathways; clarification of career aspirations; and improved transitions into further and higher education, training or the workplace. • Employers such as: the development of company personnel; the building of a positive reputation for organisations and the contribution to business recruitment strategies. Based on this evidence, the review provides some summary guidance on the factors that the National Careers Service should consider in the development of a brokerage role between education institutions and employers.

This paper sets out the findings of a review of the literature on how career guidance can support individuals to progress to positive learning and work destinations. It argues that positive progression is a legitimate and appropriate outcome of career guidance, although access to career guidance is only one amongst a range of factors that might influence an individual’s likelihood of progressing. It also notes that progression can be difficult to measure in research. The initial review found a range of evidence which demonstrated that career guidance can have a positive influence on individuals’ progression to learning and work. It highlighted a number of features that underpin the effectiveness of career guidance in this area. 1. Services need to be provided in a timely fashion, and as quickly after an individual has dropped out of learning or work as possible. 2. Services need to be provided professionally by skilled advisers. In addition to these points, the paper advances a model of the features of effective practice that support individuals to engage positively with progression. This focuses on establishing positive attitudes and behaviours, engaging in developing and effectively applying job search skills and creating a support network using both informal and formal sources. The evidence suggests that all of these interventions are useful, but multiple integrated activities are most successful, especially if they focus on building motivation as well as job search skills.

This report explores employers’ experience and understanding of Higher Apprenticeships. It is based on a survey of almost 200 companies and follow-up interviews with eleven employers. The findings suggest that there is strong support for Higher Apprenticeships amongst employers although there are many employers who have yet to engage with this programme. Employers that have implemented Higher Apprenticeships report a range of business benefits, but they were also clear that appropriate funding has to be in place to support these programmes. Employers generally thought that the introduction of Higher Apprenticeships would improve employee retention, help them to train people in the way they thought necessary and would enhance their company’s skills base. Barriers that had mitigated against the introduction of Higher Apprenticeships included the cost of introducing a Higher Apprenticeship programme, the work needed in making the business ‘higher apprentice friendly’ and findings appropriate apprenticeship frameworks and training providers. Companies that had successfully embedded Higher Apprenticeships had typically developed an approach to recruitment which enabled them to identify and select the best apprentices. Companies also set up management processes to ensure that higher apprentices were well supported and able to progress and developed effective partnerships with training providers.

This paper reports on the findings from a review of the literature relating to customer satisfaction with career guidance services. The review finds that reported levels of satisfaction with career guidance are typically high (ranging between 70-89%). However, it also reveals that there are challenges in measuring customer satisfaction in a consistent way and questions around the extent to which customer satisfaction correlates with other desirable outcomes of career guidance, such as career management skills and progression to further learning and work. The review sets out a model of factors that influence customer satisfaction which includes the individual and their expectations, the context in which the service is delivered, how the service is delivered and how the interaction is followed up. At present, there is little hard evidence suggesting a clear link between customer satisfaction and the other two outcomes that the National Careers Service is interested in (career management skills and progression).

Data collected for this second interim report through a survey, telephone interviews and site visits indicates that the NAHT Aspire Partner Schools Programme has over a short period of time demonstrated an effective approach to school improvement. Significant is that 14 schools have been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Schools have particularly welcomed and benefited from the adopted approach which emphasises; • Distributed leadership which empowers staff to take on a leadership role for the five strands; • Achievement Teams which build problem focused solutions, a positive climate for staff to feel valued and improved use of data within schools; • A whole school approach to school improvement through adoption and implementation of core values; • Peer support provided through Network Days and in school through Development Days; and • Staff development through training, coaching and the 2-6-2 meeting models. Survey evidence suggested that school leaders and teachers have a lot of confidence now that their school will change for the better (97% agreed or strongly agreed with this statement). Furthermore they reported that they have the right strategy and short term priorities to effect change that will impact upon teaching and pupil attainment. There was overall a high level of confidence (99%) that teaching and pupil’s learning would improve as a result of involvement in the programme. The dedicated support provided by NAHT Aspire Achievement Advisers offers a unique and valued aspect to the programme which provides localised bespoke training and consultancy to schools in the programme. Leadership capacity was identified as a concern by Ofsted in the three pilot schools that were judged to be ‘Inadequate’ and this factor was reflected in termly reviews of the schools’ success in implementing NAHT Aspire prior to the inspections. The programme is considered to provide value for money by schools, and may represent especially good value when compared with the costs of academisation. There have been a few withdrawals to date and these have been predominantly as a result of Ofsted inspections where schools have been judged ‘Good’ or have moved to ‘Special Measures’. It would be interesting to continue to monitor the outcomes of the programme over the coming years and to assess progression from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding.’

This paper focuses on how public policy shapes career guidance and establishes a system within which individuals can access career support. Governments are critical to career guidance primarily as funders of the activity, but also importantly as regulators, coordinators and agents of system change. The paper looks at the evidence base on career guidance and public policy, explore the rationales for public policy involvement in the field, examine different models and systems and explore some key issues that underpin successful system design.

This report sets out the findings of an independent evaluation of Brightside conducted by the International Centre for Guidance Studies. Brightside is a charity that seeks to raise young people’s aspirations and awareness about education and career pathways and enhance their capability to achieve those aspirations. A mixed methods approach to evaluation was taken which combined interviews with Brightside staff and partners (representatives of organisations that used Brightside) with analysis of existing web statistics collected by Brightside, an online survey of mentees and a detailed content analysis of a sample of online mentoring conversations. Overall the evaluation found that Brightside is well regarded by its partners, and provides a tool which delivers high quality mentoring and clear impacts for participants (mentees). It is particularly effective in helping young people to transition to higher education by helping them to think about which university they want to apply to, and supporting them through the application process.

This report sets out the findings of an independent evaluation of Brightside conducted by the International Centre for Guidance Studies. Brightside is a charity that seeks to raise young people’s aspirations and awareness about education and career pathways and enhance their capability to achieve those aspirations. A mixed methods approach to evaluation was taken which combined interviews with Brightside staff and partners (representatives of organisations that used Brightside) with analysis of existing web statistics collected by Brightside, an online survey of mentees and a detailed content analysis of a sample of online mentoring conversations. Overall the evaluation found that Brightside is well regarded by its partners, and provides a tool which delivers high quality mentoring and clear impacts for participants (mentees). It is particularly effective in helping young people to transition to higher education by helping them to think about which university they want to apply to, and supporting them through the application process.