The importance of high quality careers education and guidance and
work related education.
Excellence in careers education and guidance and work related education
is more important than ever before for a number of reasons:
- Many young people drop out of courses and jobs because they
feel they have made inappropriate choices
- Students need to learn about the massive changes occurring in
the world of work if they are to put themselves in the best possible
position to succeed
- A significant proportion of young people are at risk of being
socially excluded through lack of qualifications and positive
experiences. Careers education and guidance and work related education
can play a major role in re-motivation and re-inclusion
- As outlined in Future Skills Wales the type and level of skills
needed in the modern work place have changed significantly. Students
need every possible opportunity to develop these skills:
- Today's young people have a wider range of choices than ever
before and with 'Learning Pathways' developments will have far
greater access to vocational learning at a younger age. At each
stage they will therefore need accurate and accessible information
and ongoing support to make these decisions
- Career management skills are now crucial if young people are
to cope with the changes, challenges and opportunities that the
modern world presents.
The CWQA has been designed in response to
a number of policy initiatives and establishments who join the CWQA
programme will be able to ensure that they are in line with current
policy thinking. The CWQA can be viewed as the central supportive
element amongst a range of current policies and initiatives including:
1997 Education Act and 2001 Regulation:
CEG statutory 13-19
Entrepreneurship
Action Plan for Wales
ACCAC's
Framework for CEG
ACCAC's Framework
for Work Related Education 14-19
ACCAC's
Framework for PSE KS3 and 4
NAW
'Learning Country: Learning Pathways' 14 - 19
Estyn
inspections
Progress File
The Education Act 1997 which provided new duties
for head teachers and governors to provide careers education and guidance
as a legal entitlement to all students from year 9-11. There are three
sections to the legislation:
Section 43 - A programme of careers education must be provided for
all pupils in years 9-11.
Section 44 - Schools must provide access to careers advisers to enable
the careers service to fulfil their contractual duties.
Section 45- Schools must work alongside the careers service to ensure
that pupils have access to materials providing careers guidance and
to a wide range of up to date reference materials.
www.wales.gov.uk
National Assembly of Wales Regulations 2001
Section 43 of the 1997 Education Act has now been extended to cover
all 16-19 year olds in schools and colleges in Wales, with effect
from August 2001.
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National Assembly of Wales 'Learning
Country: Learning Pathways 14- 19'
This sets out the Welsh Assembly Government's vision for 14-19 education
and training in Wales. Its key themes include:
- Providing students
with greater choice of routes, types of courses and training
- Offering far more flexibility of learning routes and pathways,
mixing vocational, academic and occupational qualifications and
experiences
- Setting challenging targets for the levels of qualifications
achieved by students
- Placing WRE as part of the basic curriculum - see below
- Improving opportunities for work experience and enterprise
- The introduction of the learning coach to support young people
through their learning pathway
PSE and WRE in the Basic Curriculum 2003
This circular explains the addition of Personal and Social Education
and Work-Related Education to the basic curriculum. PSE now forms
part of the basic curriculum for all students of compulsory school
age (KS1-4) whilst WRE is part of the basic curriculum for KS4 students
as from September 2004. ACCAC's Frameworks remain the key documents
on which schools should base their planning. This means that schools
are statutorily required to provide PSE and WRE but they are not part
of the National Curriculum and do not have to be assessed
www.accac.org.uk
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ACCAC's
'A Framework for Work-Related Education for 14-19 Year Olds in Wales'
This key document sets out the key learning outcomes followed by the
learning opportunities that should be provided for students in order
to achieve these. From September 2004 students in Key Stage 4 will
be entitled to at least one week of work experience and one other
experience related to the world of work such as taking part in an
enterprise activity or having the opportunity to be mentored by an
employer. Many of these aspects are also relevant to both CEG and
PSE and establishments will find the CWQA useful in supporting the
co-ordination of learning opportunities from across the three subjects.
www.accac.org.uk
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ACCAC's
'A Framework for Careers Education and Guidance in Wales' 2001
The framework sets out the National Assembly for Wales' expectations
for careers education and guidance in Key stages 3 and 4 and Post
16. As well as practical advice on how to plan the careers curriculum,
broad objectives are described under three key areas, namely:
- Self-Awareness and Development
- Career Opportunities
- Career Planning
In addition detailed learning outcomes are provided, in order to clarify
what students in Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Post 16 should be able
to do or understand under the three broad headings. Establishments
will use these as the cornerstone of all curriculum planning, programme
evaluation and student assessment for careers education and guidance.
The CWQA gives ACCAC's learning outcomes, and therefore student learning,
central importance requiring establishments to demonstrate how students
are provided with opportunities to achieve them. The status of this
framework is to be reviewed in 2003/4.
www.accac.org.uk
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ACCAC's
'Personal and Social Education Framework Key Stages 1-4 in Wales'
The growing emphasis on PSE at Key Stage 3 and 4 will further strengthen
the importance of work-related education and careers education and
guidance as central elements of this subject. Within ACCAC's framework
a number of the learning outcomes relate to vocational aspects, self-awareness
and career planning skills. Therefore establishments will benefit
from planning PSE, WRE and CEG as a whole in order to ensure coherence.
This forms a central theme within the CWQA criteria.
www.accac.org.gov
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Entrepreneurship
Action Plan for Wales
In 1999, the National Assembly for Wales passed a resolution "that
a successful future for the Welsh economy depends on a strong culture
of entrepreneurship" The Entrepreneurship Action Plan for Wales (EAP)
strategy document, "The Sky is the Limit", was published in March
2000. This document sets out a framework for promoting, encouraging
and developing entrepreneurship throughout Wales. The EAP implementation
plan, "Making it Happen", was published in September 2000. The Implementation
Plan details the delivery of 6 Key Actions contained in the Strategy
Document. One of the actions is to give enterprise education support
to schools and colleges. Establishments are being provided with resources,
materials and practical activities aimed at nurturing entrepreneurship
skills. These plans strengthen the requirement for providing effective
enterprise activities as part of a coherent CEG and/or WRE programme.
www.accac.org.gov
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Estyn's
inspection framework
Estyn evaluates the effectiveness of careers education and guidance
and work related education as part of the inspection of an establishment.
Within these inspection exercises, an inspection team will report
on:
- The effectiveness of teaching and learning
- How well learning experiences meet the needs and interests of
learners and the wider community
- How well learners are guided and supported
This means that inspectors will look for evidence such as:
- The provision made for careers education and guidance and work
related education
- The policy for careers education and guidance and work related
education including partnership agreements
- Observation of lessons, including tutor periods and any key
events and activities at the time of the inspection where applicable
In further education establishments inspectors can also look for evidence
that progression is being addressed within course provision. Establishments
that become involved with the CWQA will be at a huge advantage in
preparing for these aspects of Estyn inspections. The CWQA demands
extremely high standards of curriculum planning, teaching and learning
processes, student guidance, documentation and overall management.
The CWQA provides establishments with a self-improvement process and
an evidence base that satisfies Estyn's expectations for careers education
and guidance and work related education.
www.estyn.co.gov
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Progress
File
There is a clearly identifiable cross over between the student activities
integral to Progress File and the careers education and guidance and
work-related programme as well as elements of PSE. Ensuring a co-ordinated
approach to the introduction of Progress File will be one of the major
benefits of joining the CWQA.
www.dfes.gov.uk/progressfile
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e-Progress File is an interactive tool to help you create and maintain your individual development record.
Go!
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