CGF0043

Written evidence submitted by UNISON

Introduction

1. UNISON is the largest public service union in the UK with 1.3 million members.  We are also the largest education union in the UK with over 300,000 members from early year’s professionals, local authority staff, school support staff and professional staff in colleges and universities. Finally, we are also the lead trade union representing staff working in careers services throughout the UK.

2. We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation, and are keen to provide oral evidence to the committee to expand on the points made in this submission.

3. The Government refers to recommendations from the report “Unleashing Aspiration - The Final Report of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions” .[1]  Whilst the analysis that accompanies the report is welcome the misinformed comments and recommendations around the Connexions service were misleading.  This led to unwarranted and sustained attacks by politicians and the media on the careers services based on pre-conceived ideas, prejudice and poor evidence. UNISON opposed the recommendation, to set up a Careers service in every school and college, with the freedom to tender flexibly because it would lead to a postcode lottery and undermine the independence and impartiality necessary for a quality service. This concern has e sadly been overwhelmingly vindicated. UNISON advocated that strong joint working partnership between schools and a separate public service provider is the most effective and efficient model. UNISON also believes that an 'all-age and all-stage' approach is essential - only England in the UK has separated responsibilities for providing career guidance based on age.  UNISON believes it is now time to move on, building on the good work that has been done in careers services across the UK and the good practice that exists.

Summary

4. The main points of this submission are:

1. The adverse impact of the transfer of the statutory duty to deliver careers advice to schools and colleges
2. The vital role of face to face guidance
3. The role of careers education in the raising of aspirations
4. Why early intervention can reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)
5. The role to be played by Local Authorities
6. The role of employers
7. Case studies of excellence
8. Need for stability and coherence in funding streams for careers education and advice
9. How the fragmentation of delivery models will have an adverse impact on the continuing professional development (CPD) of careers professionals

5. Adverse Impact of the transfer of the statutory duty to schools and colleges

The government in England finally issued updated Statutory Guidance on Careers Services in Schools in April 2014, 8 months overdue and after schools had been trying to deliver services this year.  The guidance is light touch without  penalties for non compliance.  The onus remains on how the schools interpret and action the recommended guidance.  It makes an important distinction about what schools ‘should’ do and what they ‘must’ do. For example, ‘schools should make sure pupils can find out more about the range of options available by giving other providers who wish to do so the opportunity to inform pupils directly about what they offer’.

6. The new guidance makes it clear that schools need to do more to ensure that young people are equipped with the information and guidance they need to make informed choices about pathways into work. But whilst the government says the offer ‘needs to be appropriately resourced’, it’s still unclear where this resource is going to come from. No dedicated funds accompanied the transfer of responsibility for careers advice to individual schools, and this will make it difficult for schools to secure the standard of provision that the new guidance describes. A forthcoming expansion in the National Careers Service’s support for schools and colleges is welcome, as is a higher priority afforded to careers guidance by Ofsted. But if schools aren’t properly equipped with the resources they need to deliver, it’s likely that the careers advice on offer across schools will remain highly variable.  Research by the University of Derby and UNISON “A Careers Postcode Lottery” assessed the impact of the experiences of Local Authorities and their staff in dealing with policy changes arising from the Education Act 2011.   The general picture revealed by this report is of a declining level of LA involvement in youth and career support and a consequent decline in the quality and quantity of the overall support available. In general, LAs have followed the direction of Government policy and facilitated the transfer of responsibilities to schools whilst focusing what resources they have on the provision of targeted services.  Respondents were also clear that the policy changes were impacting negatively on young people. Many talked about the fact that young people were now making educational and employment decisions without support and noted that this was leading to unwise choices in many cases. In general, respondents echoed the criticisms about the declining scale and scope of careers work that have been made in other recent research reports. They also highlighted concerns about impartiality and observed downward pressures on the salaries and working conditions of careers workers within schools. 

http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs/news/search-news/a-career-postcode-lottery

7.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           In March 2014 UNISON published research on the impact the devolved duty to deliver careers guidance schools has had on the type of advice being provided.  The lack of a central register or quality control has left the service open to the market; meaning just about anyone can sell their services to schools. The study revealed that 28% of schools were using their own staff to provide careers advice, and that in 36% of those schools it was teaching assistants and other support staff who were carrying out this work with little training.  More than a third of support staff (38%) were delivering careers advice in addition to their normal duties. 

8.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           A further UNISON survey in June 2014 revealed that cash-strapped schools were being forced to go with the lowest bidder to pay for careers guidance that was previously funded by the local authority.  The lack of a central register or quality control has left the service open to the market; meaning just about anyone can sell their services to schools.    Whilst support staff continued to deliver a service in 700 secondary schools in England, the research showed that pupils were increasingly likely to be abandoned with little, or no help, as a staggering 83% of schools surveyed were no longer employing a careers adviser.

9.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The Value of Face to Face Guidance

The government advice to schools recommends that that ‘schools should secure face-to-face advice and guidance where it is the most suitable support for young people to make successful transitions’ is uninspiring – young people are charged with making incredibly difficult decisions at a young age – and if George Osborne can offer “free, impartial, face to face advice” on retirement options for pensioners, it seems odd that face-to-face support might not be available to help young people make decisions which have serious implications for their whole lives. A House of Lords report released on the same day as the new guidance recommends that the government use EU money to fund face-to-face careers advice, rather than focusing on online support.

10. For schools and colleges with the ambition, and, importantly, the resources, to provide young people with the knowledge they need to make informed choices, this document should offer a good blueprint for the way forward. But for every young person to have access to the quality of support they need to have the best chance in navigating what is often a very complex school to work transition, whichever school or college they go to, government must ensure that every school and college is properly resourced. For too long careers advice has been an afterthought. But at a time when youth unemployment is at crisis levels, it is more important than ever that we get this right.

11.       The Role of Careers Education in Raising Aspirations

UNISON welcomes initiatives such as Inspiring the Future and Speakers for Schools and believes that this should complement the provision of careers education.  All young people must be supported through 16+ choices by a robust CEIAG provision from Year 8 to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to take control of their learning and work choices. Research, both in the UK and in North America, demonstrates that the most effective model of delivery for careers work in schools is a curriculum-led approach in which career is seen as an important focal point for learning, based on a body of knowledge, skills and pedagogic approaches, with the various careers activities developed in a programmatic, developmental way and supported as part of the curriculum.7 One of the possible benefits of moving towards a school-based model is the potential it offers to strengthen these links with the curriculum. But instead, the links are being weakened or removed.  In the recent position paper (Future positive) the CBI calls for a national network of "Local Brokers". For nearly twenty years, we had such a network in the form of Education Business Partnerships (EBP) who received funding from government and generated their own income from education and business.   The EBP network facilitated the engagement of over 300,000 employers in exactly the kinds of activity the CBI is looking for. The network was subject to quality measures, of varying degrees, and was coordinated by a national body.

12.            A coherent strategy to educate for employability, should involve career development and work-related activities, embedded in all aspects of the curriculum and supported at a local level by professional advisers and skilled brokers.[2]

13. Why early intervention can reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

The Work Foundation report[3] Staying Power: Making the raising of the participation age a policy report argues that the RPA reform is unlikely to fully realise its aims of full participation without addressing these emerging issues. Its recommendations focus on four key areas:

• The quality of options available post-16

• Improvements in careers advice and guidance

• Increased financial support options for learners aged 16-19

• A focus on better tracking and monitoring

Moreover their report: Lost in Transition[4] found that on leaving education, some 48 per cent of young people not in employment, education and training (NEET) have no experience of paid work. This lack of substantive work experience represents a significant barrier to work and highlights the real need for sustained support for young people in taking the initial (and hardest) step into employment. In order to address the NEET problem there is a need to better understand both the nature of the NEET cohort and their support needs.  There is scope to improve co-ordination of local services to support young people. There is also a need for schools, businesses and government to work more closely to prepare young people for the labour market. In UNISON’s view, historically this has been an important function of independent, impartial careers services, which have effectively been destroyed by recent changes to the sector.   Recently published research by Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation recommended that Britain needs a vision for the youth labour market, one which recognises that the NEET problem is structural and long-term, not just a hangover from the recession. The study looked at the exam performance of 604,441 children born in 2000 and predicted their chances of becoming NEET before the age of 24. It estimated that 120,888 are at serious risk of leaving compulsory education without a job, training place or university degree because they already perform below national averages in the core curriculum. It concludes that” If we want to tackle Britain’s NEET problem then we have to look at the sources of that problem,” it said. “That means intervening early enough to make a preventative difference”.  This is why careers advice from careers professionals is vital.

14. Helping young people with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) is an area that is already presenting increasing challenges, due to the loss of specialisms arising from the depth of job losses. The list of vulnerable groups to whom the local authority retains a duty to provide a service (including pupils with statements, pregnant teenagers, young offenders, looked after young people, those from travelling communities, pupils at risk of being NEET, newly arrived/asylum seekers and those in need of mental and community health services) may seem comprehensive, but still young people slip through the net – such as young people with LDD. Some authorities, such as Nottingham, have widened their criteria, which should be reviewed and funded appropriately. 

15. Early identification of those who are likely to become NEET is important, and support should be provided prior to their disengagement. Many schemes come into play only when the problem has become acute and the young person has been a persistent truant or become NEET. There is evidence that poor educational outcomes and negative attitudes towards schooling can have their roots in primary school. One effective approach taken by some secondary schools has involved identifying those who are ‘at risk’ of becoming NEET at an early age and prior to beginning secondary education. These schools have fostered links with their primary schools, and the identified pupils were given extra support from an early age, causing the post-16 full time education rate to increase.  The follow-up of the progress of young people who have taken part in schemes is essential to prevent them becoming NEET again, and to evaluate the effectiveness of schemes.

16. In one Local Authority a ‘Keep in Touch’ team was created to contact young people believed to be NEET. Contact was via email, phone, SMS and home visits, and resulted in the rate of young people of unknown status falling from 12 per cent in 2006 to 2 per cent in 2009.  Again the cuts that the careers sector has experienced and the paucity of funding will present resource challenges to this effective approach.  We recognise that the Government is trying to address this with various initiatives such as the Youth Contract, but in order for this to yield a sustained impact it will require an integrated structure to underpin this, resourced by careers professionals. Local authorities that have achieved large reductions in their level of young NEETs have made NEET reduction a key part of their LAA, Children and Young People’s Plan, 14-19 Strategy, and regeneration policies. Strong leadership from the council and involvement from the third sector ensures these plans are implemented effectively. Different agencies such as Connexions, Jobcentre Plus and law enforcement agencies have in the past shared information to allow identification of at-risk individuals, and targeted help to prevent them becoming NEET.  We should draw upon the experience of this good practice. The Careers Advisory Group’s submission to the Milburn Review of Social Mobility and Child Poverty provides evidence of concerns about tracking destinations and data collection. These concerns are particularly relevant to NEETs: the loss of Connexions will mean that schools, colleges and work-based learning providers will not have access to data to respond to their needs. This will be compounded by the loss of data from schools, since they will not be recording interventions with young people except where required for the destinations measure. 

SEN/LDD issues - case study

17. Personal advisers have statutory responsibility to attend transition / annual reviews for young people with SEN in school years 9 - 11 and the final year of sixth form (if applicable).  A UNISON member working in a careers service has given us this typical example of some of the problems faced in the provision of careers advice for young people with SEN.

18. Advisers already had asked to attend a review for a young person who is in a secure hospital / education placement out of the local area. He is of compulsory school age, and is the responsibility of the careers service in the area where he is educated. Unfortunately his current school has not bought any Careers support. Due to staffing cuts, advisers were not able to attend the review meeting. There was only one full-time SEN careers adviser, compared to a team of five (plus two senior staff to support) before the cuts. The meeting was scheduled to take place over 100 miles away, and the adviser did not have information regarding educational options where that young person lives. Careers advisers in many places are coming under similar pressure to provide such advice – to young people long distances away, in places about which the advisers have little information.

19.            Without regular contacts with schools, careers professionals will have difficulty identifying vulnerable young people. The links with the school they have attended provide vital background information.

20.            The role of local authorities in careers guidance for young people

Local Authorities are best placed to provide strong co-ordination of local services to ensure young people are linked-up with the support they require to find employment, further education or training after leaving school. We commend the efforts made by some local authorities to support their schools in taking on the new duty, particularly by working with them to form consortia and partnerships to procure independent and impartial careers guidance. We recommend that the Government’s statutory guidance is strengthened to emphasise the benefits of this approach. We also recommend that the Government promotes the activities of the best performing local authorities so that best practice can be shared.

21. All schools, colleges and work-based learning providers in each local authority should work together to produce an area prospectus of opportunities and we recommend that the local authority should facilitate this; indeed, the duty for this co-ordination should sit with the local authority.  This would help address issues such as consistency, quality control and coherence in the type of careers advice available to young people.  In Blackburn with Darwen, the local authority has engaged all local schools in a collective contracting arrangement which if successful will mean the contract for universal careers services is effectively transferred from the local authority to the consortium organisation (Education Improvement Partnership) and that a comparable level of service is preserved.

22.            The Role of Employers

UNISON welcomes the report from National Careers Council report Taking action: Achieving a culture change in careers provision, and supports many of the recommendations.  Whilst we recognise the need for employers to play an active role working with schools and careers advisers in meeting the skills challenges facing the UK.  We express caution about the recommendation to establish an Employer-led Advisory Board reporting directly to relevant ministers advising on careers provision and guiding the work of the National Careers Council as this could impact on impartiality and independence.  It could lead to bias and not address the needs of local economies

23. Case Studies of Excellence

A common theme in all the consultations we have conducted with UNISON members employed as careers professionals is their commitment to excellence; to the profession and the aspirations they seek to achieve on behalf of their customers.  We have evidence from many careers companies and would recommend that the Select Committee visit the partnerships to see this in practice.  In particular Careers South West Impact Survey 2014 compiled from two separate surveys demonstrates the positive impact CSW has had on enriching the lives of young people. Kings Devon School ”Careers South West provision has been absolutely invaluable in ensuring our young people move successfully into education or training after Yr 11 and again post Sixth Form.  The quality of the work carried out is outstanding and the adviser is a highly valued member of our school team.  We had no hesitation in buying in more hours from CSW.  We would love to buy more but the budget dictates otherwise.  For many years the number of NEETs emanating from our school has been extremely low and I directly attribute that to the tenacious work of our CSW PA working alongside our own Careers and PSHE co-ordinators makes sure that students are not allowed to slip through the net.  For us impartial and careers guidance advice to all students and not just the vulnerable is essential hence despite continued budget pressures we buy the services of our brilliant PA from CSW”  There is a folder of tributes from schools and employers available!  We have similar evidence from Greater Merseyside Careers Partnerships, Careers Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire, Nottingham Futures, Adviza, Aspire,  CfBT  - we could go on.  There is excellence and we have to build on this by creating a stable funding stream for the service and for the professionals delivering this.

24. Need for stability and coherence in funding streams for careers education and advice

There needs to be consistency and coherence in the funding streams for CEIAG.  The current position is fragmented leading to a postcode lottery in the quality and type of service available.   Forty years ago the Government established a nationally available, universal careers guidance service for all young people in England. The Employment and Training Act 1973 gave the Secretary of State statutory responsibility for ensuring that all young people had access to careers guidance. Each local education authority (LEA) was required to provide a careers service for young people and those LEA careers services worked in partnership with schools to provide support to pupils making choices about options within school and opportunities post-school (Peck, 2004). The careers services reported to the Employment Department and were inspected regularly by teams of Careers Service Branch Inspectors. These arrangements remained in place for the next two decades but in the twenty years since the beginning of the 1990s there have been four major changes, with the most recent being the biggest of them all. Schools no longer have access to a universally available careers service, funded by central and local government. Instead they are required to make their own arrangements and to pay for the service from their existing budgets. The Secretary of State still has responsibility for ensuring that young people in England have access to careers guidance services but the Education Act 2011 has devolved that responsibility to schools. Local authorities are no longer required to provide a universal careers service but retain responsibility for providing support for young people deemed to be vulnerable and disadvantaged, including students with special educational needs (SEN) or learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD), and those 16-18 year olds who are NEET or considered to be at risk of not engaging in education and training. The services previously offered by one organisation, Connexions, have, therefore, been split into the universal careers guidance service, which is now the responsibility of individual schools and academies, and the targeted youth support service, responsibility for which remains with the local authorities.   

25. The dangers of fragmentation of delivery models to the `careers    professional

We welcome the move to unify these in the Quality in Careers Standard (QIC) and agree that this should be widely promoted and should explicitly include governing bodies. We welcome the new qualifications framework but the acquisition of qualifications and membership of a professional body overshadows the essential need for careers professionals to work together. It is essential for professionals to consolidate the training with practice provided by the experience of working alongside careers professionals. The fragmented delivery picture is resulting in more people working in isolation. Many careers advisers formally employed by a careers company are now self employed.   The biggest growth areas of self-employment since mid-2010 have been people working for themselves (up 232,000), freelancing (up 69,000) or sub-contracting (up 67,000).   The number of self-employed people who either run a business, or are a partner or sole director in one (positions usually associated with entrepreneurship) has actually fallen by 52,000.   UNISON is concerned that this growth is at the expense of more secure employee jobs. Many newly self-employed workers do the same work as employees but with less job security, poorer working conditions and often less take-home pay.  We also have evidence in the growth of casualised and zero hours contracts being offered to careers professionals.

26. We welcome the follow up inquiry and believe this presents a positive opportunity for the government.

September 2014