Careers advice at school: what should parents expect?

It is extremely important for a school to have a visible ‘careers’ programme, to allow the world of work to be talked about in its own right, and not just related to qualifications

The fundamental purpose of school is to prepare children to become grounded and successful adults, and as part of this, it is really important for schools to give children a sense of what they might do in the workplace and in their later lives. Times have changed, however, and ‘careers advice’ should not be seen in isolation, or as limited to an occasional 10 minute chat with a notional Careers Advisor – good schools generally think much more widely about their preparation for the world of work. Just because a teenager does not know exactly what job or career to follow after school or university does not mean that careers advice has not worked – far more important are the skills, capabilities and approach to work that a school develops, and that set teenagers up to succeed, whichever choices they eventually make.

Most schools, will quite rightly, put a lot of effort into guiding pupils at the times of their option choice, helping parents and pupils to decide which GCSEs, A Levels or other exam courses are most likely to result in success. Schools should also support pupils in their university entrance, and should have programmes that help introduce pupils (and parents) to university courses, and help guide pupils through the application process.  All of this guidance is always far more effective when it is shared amongst all the subject specialist staff – a single person could not possibly have a grasp of all the (constantly changing) courses and entrance requirements – and is a crucial part of the ‘guidance for life’ that schools should offer. Qualifications, after all, are one of the most important gateways to career success.

This said, it is also extremely important for a school to have a visible ‘careers’ programme, to allow the world of work to be talked about in its own right, and not just related to qualifications. From as early as Year 9 – sometimes earlier – your son or daughter might expect to have some sessions introducing certain jobs, and of the world of work in general. Schools often invite in speakers as part of a lecture or assembly programme, and this kind of contact with the outside world is invaluable for young people. Hearing about the paths that people have taken to get to where they are in their jobs, and how they have managed to combine family and work, is fascinating and often very inspiring for young people.

Work experience organised or co-ordinated by the school, probably when the pupils are 15 or 16, is also invaluable, as are work-shadowing programmes, usually in the Sixth Form. There is value to be had for teenagers both in seeing how mundane (and hard!) certain jobs can be, as well as gaining a glimpse into the boardrooms to which they might aspire at a later stage. Of course, it is also useful when parents can organise work experience too; the more we can all do together to expose young people to different ways of life, the more rounded their understanding of the world will be.

Crucially, however, a careers programme should not give teenagers the single answer to the question ‘what shall I do when I grow up?’. The world is a very different place from 20 years ago, and is constantly changing, with jobs being created that simply didn’t exist even a decade ago. Moreover, flexibility in the workforce means that people are increasingly not only changing their jobs in their lifetime, but also making huge career changes with ever greater ease. The notion of a ‘job for life’ has long since gone, and it would be foolish of schools to perpetuate the myth that you choose a career at the age of 16 or 18, and stick with it forever.

Much more important, then, apart from developing an awareness of the realities of the work place, is the work that schools do to develop the skills that young people need to be able to be successful throughout their lives: self-confidence, flexibility and adaptability, for example, as well the ability to think critically and creatively, the ability to get on with other people, and the ability not to be afraid of change or of making and taking opportunities. Finding a direction in life is not ultimately about choosing a certain job or career path, but about understanding who we are, and what we want to achieve in our lives, and good schools will give our children a tremendous start in this respect.