Parliamentary committee to investigate 'patchy' school careers guidance

The inquiry has been launched by the newly created parliamentary sub-committee on education, skills and the economy, which is made up of members of the Commons’ education select committee and the business, innovation and skills select committee.

Issues it will examine include concerns around the variable quality and effectiveness of services since schools took them over in 2011.

Poor promotion of apprenticeships and failures to match young people’s skills with the needs of the job market will also be looked at.

Education select committee chair Neil Carmichael described current provision as often “patchy and complex” and “falling short in providing young people with comprehensive advice about the range of career opportunities available”.

He is particularly concerned careers advisers are too focused on routes to universities, while those wanting advice on apprenticeships and vocational training are being “largely ignored”.

Ian Wright, chair of the business, innovation and skills select committee, says the Careers advice, information and guidance inquiry illustrates the new committee’s desire to tackle a “silo mentality” in Whitehall and encourage more cross-department co-operation.

He added: “We want to show government that working across policy areas and across parties is possible and, as a committee, we want to help ensure young people have the skills they need to achieve fulfilling careers and boost the country’s productivity.”

The inquiry will also look at whether employers can play a bigger role in developing services and also what progress has been made since concerns were raised in the education committee’s 2013 report on the impact of the careers guidance duty on schools.

This was critical of the introduction in the Education Act 2011 of the statutory duty on schools to offer careers guidance. It said the move was “regrettable” and called into question “the consistency, quality, independence and impartiality of careers guidance”.

Steve Stewart, executive director of careers advisers’ organisation Careers England, welcomed the launch of the inquiry and described its cross-departmental focus as a “radical new way of working”.

He added that around a third of schools are currently producing a good service. "We just need to ensure the other two-thirds are doing the same and I hope this inquiry can help do that.”

In 2014, the charitable foundation Gatsby produced eight benchmarks for a good careers service, which Stewart says are widely accepted by the sector as the best indicators of a successful careers service. These include learning from the local labour market, addressing the distinct needs of each pupil and providing work experience opportunities.

Another role for the inquiry will be to examine the government’s forthcoming careers strategy.

The deadline for written submissions is 20 January 2016.