Four in five teachers 'lack knowledge to provide careers advice'

The Association of Colleges (AoC) survey, which questioned 500 Key Stage 3 and 4 teachers in the UK, revealed that almost half admitted giving students bad or uninformed advice.

Almost six in ten also said they felt obliged to encourage pupils to stay on at their school beyond age 16, either because of management pressure (26 per cent) or fear of losing their job if students leave (16 per cent).

“We feel quite sorry for schools because those teachers are admitting their limited knowledge because they’re there to teach whatever subject they’re teaching, and have very limited knowledge of the wider potential,” said Joy Mercer, director of policy at AoC.

Since September, schools have had a duty to secure careers guidance for young. Advice should be “impartial” and “independent”, but not necessarily face-to-face.

Mercer said schools had been hit by a “double whammy”, because the government has neither provided extra funding or support to help them deliver their new duty. 

“They’ve got a job to do and they’ve been given statutory guidance, but they haven’t got the wherewithal to do it,” said Mercer. 

“Teachers feel obliged to keep young people in their school if they’ve got a sixth form because they’re worried about whether they will have a job, as if they don’t have enough students, it will reduce income for the school.”

Deborah Lawson, general secretary of the education union Voice, said budget constraints, as well as the raising of the participation age, were to blame for the fact that teachers feel pressured to encourage pupils to stay on at their particular school.

“Teachers are bound to encourage pupils to stay on, simply because of the raising of the participation age. It has financial implications in terms of justifying a sixth form in a school which used to see most of its students leaving at 16,” she said.

“The loss of Connexions has had an immediate and burdensome effect upon schools which have turned to their teaching staff with the question: 'well, if you don't do it, who can?' Unfortunately, schools with budget issues are likely to place careers fairly low on their list of priorities.”

Paul Chubb, executive director of trade association Careers England, blamed the Department for Education for failing to provide adequate guidance for schools ahead of the duty coming into force.

“It is hardly surprising that most are ill-prepared for their new role,” said Chubb. “The blame for that rests firmly with the DfE which has let schools down by failing to produce timely and informative statutory guidance to assist schools in the transition - the flimsy statutory guidance appeared after schools had set their 2012/13 budgets.”

“My fear is many young lives at the time they are embarking on their future career pathways are being scandalously put at risk by this 'poor show' from government,” he added.