‘I don’t know where to find the careers adviser … he has disappeared’: the impact of changes to careers advice on 14–16 year olds in University Technical Colleges and schools

Abstract

Recent policies in England have enacted significant changes to careers information advice and guidance (CIAG) and work-related learning (WRL). This paper offers insight into these changes from the perspective of young people studying engineering at University Technical Colleges (UTCs) as well as ‘comprehensive’ schools. Face-to-face CIAG was conspicuously absent from the young people’s decision to pursue engineering. Whilst they were studying engineering, the young people at the comprehensive schools had quite variable experiences of receiving CIAG and WRL. Although there were instances of young people receiving careers advice from teachers, careers advisors or employers, many young people had not received this input. As well as accessing advice from a careers teacher or advisor more frequently, the UTC students were also much more inclined to be explicitly positive about this advice. Many young people had positive work experience placements. They felt that the experience had given them a greater understanding of ‘what it’s like to be in a workplace’. However, not all students had such positive experiences. They told us that it could be ‘extremely hard’ to find a place, especially one related to the course of study. We relate the findings to the current policy context and implications for the UTC model.

Keywords:

• Information advice and guidance
• University Technical Colleges
• vocational education and training
• work-related learning

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers as well as our AQA colleagues for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. We have also benefited greatly from discussions and feedback from Prue Huddleston and Ann-Marie Bathmaker. We would also like to acknowledge Fiona Simpson and Daniel Homaiden for their help in coding the career choices data. We would also like to thank the young people who agreed to talk to us about their experiences and who made time to complete the questionnaire.

Notes

1. Young people are required to remain in some form of education or training until their 18th birthday (Department for Education 2012b).

2. As the focus groups explored the young people’s experiences of studying engineering, only the ‘technical’ and ‘vocational’ students took part.

3. Later on in the discussion, the young man clarifies that it was his cousin who was already at the school.

4. This is likely a reflection of the discussions taking place shortly after a change in the cost of university tuition fees.