The Impact of Careers Work: making the case

Dr. Deirdre Hughes, OBE

Commissioner, UKCESChair, National Careers CouncilAssociate Fellow, Warwick Institute for Employment ResearchDirector, DMH Associates

Insight & perspective

Policy

Practice

Research

Policy

Research

Practice

Overview

• Careers and labour market policies: individuals, jobs, skills and growth

• Challenges: young people’s participation in learning and work

• Careers impact: current prospects and future possibilities

• Careers intelligence: practical approaches

Public Policy

• Learning goals• Labour market goals• Social equity goals

- Reframed to support policies for sustained jobs, growth and

skills

Shifting paradigm in England

From this… To this…

“There is an urgent need to raise UK Skills levels to help drive productivity, growth and jobs.”

“The skills and capabilities of our People are ultimately the

basis for our long-term competitiveness.”

Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation

and Skills

Charlie Mayfield, Chairman, UK Commission for Employment and Skills

UK, compared to OECD competitors, in low, intermediate and higher level skills

Low SkillsIntermediate Skills High Skills

Source: Bosworth, 2012

Training in the UKThere are 2.3 million businesses of 1+ across the UK.

59% train(1.3 million)

41% do not train(0.9 million)

26% 15% Said they had no training need

Of those who do not train:

Perceived need but met barriers**Also includes small proportion that said don’t know

or no reason, or that people learnt as they went

Time Lack of informationabout what is available

Barriers cited include:

¹ i£Cost

Of which...

Major categories of public sector workers

Category 000s• Civil servants 522• Teachers (England & Wales) 476• Nurses (England) 408• Police 285• HM Forces 193• Doctors 134• Teaching assistants (England) 125• Others 3,635

Total 5,778Source: IFS

Occupation matters

Managers

Admin and Clerical staff

Semi-skilled operatives

Elementary

Skilled trades

Customer service

Associate professional

Professionals

Personal service roles

45%

45%

47%

48%

55%

55%

56%

61%

70%

Training in the UK

Creative & Digital £17m

Service £18.4m

Investment by Sector

e-skills

Skillset

People 1st

Manufacturing £19.5m

Semta

Cogent

EUSkills

RenewableUK

Improve

IMISkills forLogistics

FSP

CC Skills

Asset Skills

ConstructionSkills

Public Services £12.3m

Justice

ERSA

SkillsActive

SfCD

Skills for Health

Skillsmart

SummitSkills

Built Environment £4.4m

Agriculture £3.3m

Lantra

UKCES £75m

Key labour market challenges for youth (and adults)

Source: ILO, 2010a, p.54

Youth Unemployment (Under 25) in 2012

• Turbulent economies and fast changing political and social structures

• Careers work viewed as a lubricant that supports individuals, businesses and educational institutions

• Moves from learning to earning more problematic• Fewer jobs and less ‘decent work’ available• Skills of young people are generally not in high

demand from employers• Not simply a case of mismatch or shortfall in skills• Youth transitions are reportedly easier and safer in

Austria, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands

Full report available at: http://elgpn.eu

The changing landscape

• Tougher policy measures• New responsibilities: balance between

individuals, state and markets• Policy levers:

– Continuing vocational training– Curriculum specific reforms– Communication between and across institutions

and VET programmes– Co-financed measures– Co-training arrangements

Careers Learning Programme(s)

What does good look like?A Practical Guide to Using the ACEG Framework for Careers and Work-Related Learning http://www.aceg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/The-ACEG-Framework.pdf

Why do it?

Will it really make a difference?

How will you know?

Making a difference

The evidence-base

• The research evidence has been largely hidden!

• Key facts We ‘Know for Sure’

• Links have to be made to added-value benefits, cost savings and ‘extreme collaboration’

• Following the ‘brick dust’ rather than setting the vision

10 Key Facts We ‘Know for Sure’1. Childhood socialisation influences adult work

performance and job satisfaction.2. The transition from school to work can be

smoothed.3. Knowing how the world-of work is organised

eases vocational decision making and job transitions.4. Individuals who have a high level of decision-

making capability and a low level of life complexity generally experience less difficulty in making choices. Contacts also matter!

5. Career learning supports occupational choice and enhance transitions into learning and work.

(Hughes & Savickas, 2009)

Key Fact No 2• Morris et al. (1999) examined the impact of careers education and

guidance provision on young people’s transition post-16. A key finding was that young people with more highly developed career exploration skills were more positive and confident about the choices they made post-16 and were more likely to make a successful transition. ‘The key factor that seemed to underpin successful transition at 16 was the level of young people’s career exploration skills.’

• Morris (2004) explored findings from large-scale research studies on careers education and guidance conducted over the previous decade. It is possible to identify the skills that promote successful transition and to trace links between successful transition and programmes of careers education and guidance. In particular, the importance of career exploration skills were highlighted; for example, the skills that young people need in order to use computerised systems, paper sources and people, to enable them to find out about their career options and/or the courses available to them.

Presentation not to be distributed without prior consent from Dr Deirdre Hughes

10 Key Facts We ‘Know for Sure’

6. Congruence between the worker and the job improves performance.

7. Workers can learn to cope more effectively with occupational stress.

8. Conflicts between career aspirations, work responsibilities and family obligations can cause personal tensions and can result in lower productivity in the workplace.

9. Occupational segregation and skill shortages are major inhibitors to individual and workforce development

10.Part-time and temporary work affects the socialisation and development of adolescents.

(Hughes & Savickas, 2009)

Practical Approaches• Database spreadsheets for systematically

comparing ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’ linked to progression and achievement rates

• Tailored reports for school principals and governors• Differing survey questionnaires and approaches used for

gaining feedback to feed back into curriculum / service design and curriculum delivery

• Reflective journals / CPD module for recording impact and assessment of careers and guidance-related interventions

• Where are the jobs? – Powerpoint template for adaptationVisit: http://deirdrehughes.org/publications/

Inspiring others as we too operate in a climate of changing fiscal policy and labour market uncertainty.

What’s your vision? The storyboard on careers

• Measuring activities: impact on learners aspirations, achievements and attainment

• Making effective use of hard & soft data• Motivating individuals: decision-making

engagement & resilience• Managing expectations: career adaptability• Meaning and relevance to different individuals

& groups: students, staff, parents, governors, Ofsted, quality assessors etc.

Getting started:http://www.inspiringthefuture.org/employers.aspx

A call for ‘solution-focussed approaches’

“The symbol in Chinese for crisis is made up of two ideographs: one means danger, the other means opportunity. This symbol is a reminder that we can choose to turn a crisis into an opportunity or into a negative experience.”

“The difference between try and triumph is a little umph ”

Thank You! For further information

Deirdre Hughes, DMH AssociatesGreenfields,116 Heanor Road,SmalleyDerbyshireDE7 6DXENGLANDtel: 07533 545057

email: deirdre.hughes3@btinternet.comhttp://deirdrehughes.org/

Skype: deirdre.hughes3

Careers policy, research, training and consultancy services at a local, national, European and international level.