How data improves careers advice

PROJECT

ODI Project

FUNDING

£42,000 funded by the Open Data Institute for a design agency to brand the project and analyse data

BACKGROUND

Last year, the government identified Doncaster as one of 12 "opportunity areas" where it plans to boost education support to improve social mobility.

The unemployment rate in Doncaster is 5.8 per cent, compared with an England average of 4.3 per cent. A quarter of young people in the Yorkshire town are not in education, employment or training, compared with an England average of 11.2 per cent.

To turn around these figures, Doncaster Council has developed a new approach to careers information, advice and guidance based on better use of "open data" - data that can be used, reused and redistributed by anyone.

ACTION

The ODI project, completed by the end of February, saw the creation of a careers advice, employment and guidance service for all ages that aims to support residents to gain the skills required to secure employment within the borough.

It included the development of an online map showing careers advice service providers, including their locality, the services they offer and the data available to them. This place-based system is accessed online. The data the system is based on is underpinned by information collected about market sectors and existing careers guidance.

Local young people were involved in the creation of the project, offering ideas on the website design and proposals.

A prototype was created. Key lessons learned from this include the fact that simply publishing the information was not enough and additional features were needed to enable to young people to interact with it.

OUTCOME

The children and young people agreed that they loved the prototype, particularly the fact it focused on their skills rather than a set career path, as this meant they could explore multiple options.

The project focused on democratising careers advice so that children no longer have to rely on the varying quality of careers advice from their schools, but instead have equal access to the best quality information.

The next stage of the plan is for a prototype system to be used by a handful of local schools. This will then lead to the development of a revised service in the next six months based on open data, with a number of different ways for Doncaster children to access it.

If you think your project is worthy of inclusion, email supporting data to derren.hayes@markallengroup.com