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Careers education plays a crucial role in shaping students' futures by helping them recognise and value their identity in relation to the world around them. Children as young as seven already begin forming ideas about careers, often shaped by gender and societal stereotypes, which is why it is important to introduce careers education at an early age, helping broaden young people’s understanding of the world of work and challenge stereotypes early on (OECD, 2019).
This is important for students who face social disadvantage or have Special Education Needs or Disability (SEND) as young people with SEND or who are vulnerable are less likely to achieve qualifications and more likely to be; NEET (not in education, employment or training), be homeless and more likely to be represented in the criminal justice system (CEC, 2020).
Tailored careers support is crucial in ensuring SEND and vulnerable young people receive the guidance and encouragement needed to unlock their potential as specialist support for staff and students, helps young people recognise their unique strengths, overcome barriers, and aim high, whilst also demonstrating that employers value diversity ensuring young people feel valued.
This is also important to support social mobility, as students from disadvantaged backgrounds may have restricted social networks and cultural capital that informs their understanding and can limit aspirations in careers. Research shows integrating careers education, with real-world experiences through the curriculum and work placements, can lead to lower exclusion rates and better classroom behaviour.
By offering targeted guidance, schools can help all students, regardless of background or ability, to feel empowered and understand their skills, attributes and stay focused on their goals (Education & Employment, 2019).
Engaging career leaders together to evaluate and share ideas is essential in ensuring that careers provisions remain relevant, inclusive, and effective. Networks between schools, the wider education system, including academics, and employers ensure smoother knowledge sharing and exchange of expertise to improve pupil outcomes and drive innovation in school, making schools more responsive to the community and helping them to address challenges in deprivation and inclusion (Greany & Kamp 2022).
PLNs provide an effective support base for collaborative professional development allowing educators to engage in active learning and develop new strategies to support inclusion. Evidence suggests that strong, collaborative professional communities foster the development and refinement of new practices, leading to improved student outcomes (Poortman, Brown & Schildkamp, 2022).
One of the ways schools are building effective PLNs is through EDT’s Schools Partnership Programme (SPP), which supports schools in strengthening collaboration within and between schools. SPP utilises a supportive peer review process as a vehicle for driving school innovation, offering colleagues an opportunity to share knowledge, evaluate practice and accelerate learning of implementing, iterating and refining strategies.
School leaders work effectively together, by building trust, leadership skills and a network within and between schools, to keep improving and share resources.
Peer reviews are an essential part of evaluation and improvement, with the potential to not only drive individual school improvement, but support network level outcomes (Godfrey,2020). Importantly SPP is not just about developing leaders, but involving and empowering all staff through coaching and improvement workshops and creating a shared culture of school improvement rooted in trust and reciprocal support.
Having an effective PLN that supports improving careers provisions within and between schools helps schools share and develop resources.
A well-designed and implemented system of careers support not only supports good attendance, academic motivation and achievement but also provides a useful tool for teachers to support behaviour management, as students become more engaged when they see a clear path toward their future. Students who engage in multiple careers activities experience higher levels of motivation, improved attitudes toward learning and engaging directly with employers significantly reduces the chances of being NEET (Education & Employment, 2019).
Join the schools benefitting with the SPP now
References
OECD_Dream-Jobs-Teenagers-Career-Aspirations-and-the-Future-of-Work.pdf (jacobsfoundation.org)
1392_Resource_1_Careers Landscape Factsheet-Final.pdf (careersandenterprise.co.uk)
Godfrey, D. (2020) ‘From peer review to collaborative peer enquiry: Action research for school improvement and leadership development’. London Review of Education, 18 (3), 373–89. https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.18.3.04
Key findings from our research - Education and Employers (2019)