At Wigan & Leigh College, what we’re doing around careers guidance is making a transformative difference to young people at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).
When good careers guidance is underpinned by the Gatsby benchmarks and is made a strategic priority for leaders, it transforms lives.
The latest government guidance calls on leaders to make careers guidance a leadership priority; we’ve been ahead of the curve and have been prioritising careers guidance for many years.
This has had a huge impact on NEET numbers, which in our area are below the national and regional average. Careers guidance is embedded in strategic planning, discussed at every level and reflected in everyday interactions.
Whole college approach
Careers guidance is woven into every stage of a learner’s journey, from their first encounter with the college to their progression beyond it.
This whole-college approach, championed by the entire leadership team and delivered consistently by staff, ensures young people always understand why they are learning and where it can take them.
This work begins well before enrolment. Close collaboration with schools and the local authority allows us to engage learners at key stage four, helping them understand their strengths, interests and ambitions.
This ensures our young people really are guided correctly to the provision that they’re actually going to succeed in, thrive in and be retained in.
We proactively view our learners as ‘future leavers’, focusing on what they need to thrive well beyond their time at college.
Full breadth of pathways
One of the most effective strategies in preventing young people becoming NEET is ensuring that young people see the full breadth of pathways open to them.
Too often, learners believe there is only one route – commonly A Levels followed by university – and if that pathway closes, they can feel they have failed.
Our approach is to present academic and technical routes, apprenticeships and higher education as equally valid and visible options. This approach reduces the risk of young people disengaging when plans change or results are not as expected.
A second key element to our careers programme is individualisation; for those learners who could be described as either disadvantaged or disengaged, it is about providing them with something bespoke that meets their specific needs and that is layered on top of what all young people are universally entitled to.
We’re looking for the things that resonate for that particular young person, that remove barriers or sparks something in them – something that makes them think: “That’s it, that’s what I want to do. That’s my goal.”
When you align that tailored approach with ongoing careers guidance that evolves as the young person progresses in their journey, it has far more impact.
An example of this is a programme we’re involved in, called Success 4 Life. It’s a collaboration between us, the council and GM Higher, our regional network of higher education providers.
Students who don’t traditionally go to university can come and explore the different pathways that can help get them there.
They may not know what they want to do and they might have certain challenges stopping them accessing next steps.
The programme also helps with essential skills and builds confidence and motivation. It is a very bespoke intervention that really makes sure that young people have got everything they need to move on and transition seamlessly.
Preventing young people becoming NEET is not achieved through a single initiative; it requires sustained partnership with schools, local authorities, employers and higher education, early and ongoing guidance and a relentless focus on helping every young person find a pathway that fits.
As FE leaders, we have a unique opportunity to influence not only individual lives but the prosperity of our communities. A genuinely strategic approach to careers guidance is one of the most powerful tools we have.
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