• For the CWQA establishments need to be 'developing systems for the assessment, recording and reporting of individual students achievement of WRE/CEG learning outcomes'
• In other words it is not expected that any centre will have an elaborate and smooth running assessment system by the time of the first assessment. However the assessor will need to be convinced that real development work has started

The vast majority of colleges and schools do not assess, record or report students' CEG learning, with the exception of those using an accreditation scheme. However WRE work is often recorded and assessed for example during work experience with the involvement of employers. In FE colleges the Open College Network accreditaion system allows establishement to access accredited modules linked to many apsest of careers and work related learning. The OCN process also allows establishements to write assessment specifications and then develop and obtain recognition for careers and work related learning modules.

Where to start? 
Developing this area has brought significant benefits to some centres and there is growing interest. What can colleges and schools do to get started? The main advice is - start small. This can not be emphasised enough. This is a new area for most people working in the careers and WRE field and is ripe for small scale pilot work. Here are some practical suggestions:

• Do not start assessing work related and careers learning without a clear sense of the intended learning outcomes.
• Look at the whole college/school assessment, recording and reporting policy, including the marking policy. Consider to what extent your ideas for careers and work related assessment would fit the whole college/school view. Write down your ideas
• Seek out good assessment practice in other faculties/departments particularly any which use similar teaching approaches such as Religious Studies, Physical Education or Drama.
• Make a very clear and convincing case for assessment in careers education and WRE. Communicate this to the senior management team and have a special meeting with your line manager to outline your thoughts.
• Use some of the practical ideas in this pack and try out with a colleague or a class you teach. A useful start is to link with a friend or sympathetic teacher involved in WRE or careers lessons to pilot assessing just one learning outcome. Then build on this.
• Start with student self assessment against the intended learning outcomes. Try this over the course of a careers module with one group or for an industry day
• Try to get a small group of staff to help you with this. The assessment co-ordinator and special needs co-ordinator at least should be interested. Show them your ideas and outline a really good case. Ask for their advice and feedback.
• Start with one course group/year group and work with the appropriate staff to introduce an assessment of just one aspect of WRE or a careers unit/module. Run a training session to explain how you want the teachers to assess. Choose something tangible and relatively easy to assess to get started. Explain the method you want them to use but encourage their suggestions. They will at least need a record grid with the learning outcomes on and written guidelines.
• Discuss the possibility of some time for staff to do the assessment, with senior management.
• Design a format for a report to parents for just one year group. Show this to others and consider what would be needed to be able to send these to parents at an appropriate time.
• Update the whole school WRE/careers policy to include assessment, recording and reporting. Present this at a directors/governors meeting.
• Involve other partners such as employers and careers advisors to seek support. Ask them to try out some assessment techniques on your behalf and give you feedback. Or there may be another college/school interested in working together.
• Don't despair if this all seems impossible and progress is slow. Make a plan of what you want to achieve and have a go!

Remember: Even a limited range of information on students' achievements can be invaluable for planning and developing effective teaching programmes.