Careers advice plans under fire

Hidden in the government's plans to create millions of new apprenticeships and tackle the welfare bill is a measure to provide Jobcentre Plus adviser support for schools across England.

The government says the plans, included in the Full Employment and Welfare Benefits Bill, will supplement school careers advice services and provide routes into work experience and apprenticeships.

However, the move has drawn scorn from some careers guidance experts, who say it is an attempt by the government to deal with the effects of the 2010 decision to devolve responsibility for providing careers advice from local authorities to schools.

"What it shows is that the government is having to find ways of addressing the problem created by huge levels of careers adviser job cuts over the past five years," says Denise Bertuchi, assistant national officer at union Unison.

Lack of skills

She adds that Jobcentre Plus advisers do not have the right skills, specialist knowledge or qualifications to fulfil the role envisaged by the government.

"Placing Jobcentre Plus advisers in schools is not a new idea - it was mooted a few years ago," Bertuchi says. "I'd be very worried if we were putting them in schools.

"Why not give these responsibilities to local authorities? They are better placed to do it as they still have a duty to provide information and guidance."

Her concerns are borne out by findings from a Career Development Institute (CDI) survey of advice and guidance in schools, which found that in 40 per cent of schools, career guidance is already being provided by advisers who are not properly trained.

Jan Ellis, chief executive of CDI, says the move is a waste of money and will not improve the standard of existing careers advice in schools.

"The government should take a deep breath, stand back, add up the resource it is putting into projects like this and take the time to create a coherent and well informed plan," she adds.

Meanwhile, Stewart Segal, chief executive of the Association of Employers and Learning Providers, says while Jobcentre Plus could have a role to play in improving vocational opportunities for young learners, "I'm not sure sending advisers into schools is the way to go".

"They have a role to play with job searching and data gathering, but motivating young people into work is a different skill set. A job search service is not best placed to provide this," says Segal.

Instead, he says training providers have experience of going into schools to talk to young people about work options.

"Schools need to drive local working arrangements with Jobcentre Plus and careers advisers, and training providers are the best people to make these links.

"Everything must be done to ensure schools drive the issue - it should be a requirement of the school."

Better training

Liam Preston, senior parliamentary and policy officer at YMCA England, is also sceptical that Jobcentre Plus advisers have the skills to deliver the government's ambitions.

"This idea of going into schools would be fantastic if all the work assessors were trained in a way that was good for young people," he says.

"But I don't think they currently have the set of skills to work with young people. There would need to be considerable upskilling of staff to deal with the 14 to 16 age group."

However, Preston says there is a need to increase employment support in school careers guidance, and believes better engagement with businesses and local employers is the key for ensuring young people can understand what work is available in their local area.

"Local employment is key to opening up different pathways for vocational training for young people who don't go to university," he adds.

"It is a good opportunity for collaboration between Jobcentre Plus and voluntary organisations already doing this work to deliver information and support together. That is how you bridge the skills and knowledge gap locally."

Postcode lottery

Research carried out last year by the Sutton Trust showed a decline in the quality and quantity of the careers guidance available to young people in England and the emergence of a postcode lottery where young people in some areas had access to much better career guidance than those in other areas.

To address this, the trust has recommended that all pupils should receive a guaranteed level of careers advice from impartial professional advisers.

Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of the Sutton Trust, says placing Jobcentre Plus advisers in schools "will go some way in providing a level of support for all pupils".

However, he adds: "Secondary school pupils need to negotiate a complex educational landscape, with many different education, training and career options.

"We need to make sure that young people, particularly those from low and middle income homes, know all the options available to them, whether that's the right apprenticeship, college course or university choice, in order to make the best decision for them."