SAFONAU CYFARWYDDYD GYRFA CYMRU

CYNHADLEDD ICG, TACHWEDD 2010

CAREERS WALES GUIDANCE STANDARDS

ICG CONFERENCE

NOVEMBER 2010

Sarah Finnegan DehnChief Executive, Careers Wales North West

Ffion E JonesQuality & Training Manager, Careers Wales North West

This session will …

• Explain how the Careers Wales Guidance Standards were developed.

• Discuss the implementation of the Guidance Standards - their integration with CPD, requirements of HMI in Wales and quality assurance of outcomes of guidance.

• Facilitate a group discussion to consider the future implications for these standards with a differentiated delivery model and the introduction of the new career guidance qualification.

Careers Wales context

• Formed in 2001 and now based on 5 individual companies, each limited by guarantee with individual Business Plans, but under one brand, vision, mission and values.

• Delivering the full range of careers related services, information, advice and guidance to clients of all ages.

• Currently awaiting ministerial announcement regarding structure and publication of Future Ambitions and Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) response.

• Mainly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government with some other ESF or Local Authority Projects funding.

• Retains flexibility to meet local needs, is customer focused, independent, impartial and free.

Careers Wales Guidance Standards

• Why were they developed ?

• Who are they for ?

• What are they ?

Background

• Realisation that the NVQ Level 4 in A&G, the main route into the profession in Wales, was not sufficiently robust.

• Careers Wales national brand required national standards for the delivery of guidance.

• Estyn (HMI) undertook full inspections of Careers Wales companies with assessment of guidance interactions as a central part, and major influence, on the inspection grades.

• Recommendation of first Review of Careers Wales in 2004 to strengthen CPD.

The process …

• Invitation sent to recommended consultants/experts to tender to facilitate the development.

• Liane Hambly and Alan Lewis awarded the contract to facilitate the development of Careers Wales Guidance Standards.

• Guidance Standards Project Management group established.

• 8 months development and consultation stage.

• Piloting and roll out in Careers Wales companies during 2006-7.

What are they?What do they look like?• Based on a functional analysis approach starting with a key purpose

statement.

• Capture and document the broad and diverse nature and range of career guidance activities.

• They set out clearly how Advisers should deliver guidance interviews and group works within a flexible framework.

• Identify the component parts of an interview and group work which show the simultaneous activities which occur during different stages of guidance interactions.

• In order to verify that Careers Wales Advisers are delivering interviews and group sessions to the required standard, an assessment framework was also developed.

The starting point …

For the purpose of developing the Standards, the following ‘definition of guidance’ was agreed (key purpose statement):

“Interventions designed to enable individuals to make and implement, well-informed and realistic decisions about their lifelong career planning, and to manage subsequent transitions”

Careers Wales Guidance Standards Group 2006

CAREERS WALES GUIDANCE STANDARDS – INTERVIEWS & GROUP WORKS

“Interventions designed to

enable individuals to make and

implement, well-informed realistic decisions about

their lifelong career planning and to manage

subsequent transitions”

UNDERTAKE A GUIDANCE INTERVIEW

UNDERTAKE GROUPWORK

TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS

TOOLS & TACTICS

A FRAMEWORK

TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS

TOOLS & TACTICS

A FRAMEWORK

PROFESSIONAL & ETHICAL PRACTICE

DEFINITION OF GUIDANCE

Guidance Guidance InterviewInterview

Professional & Professional & Ethical PracticeEthical Practice

FrameworkFramework Tools & TacticsTools & Tactics

Interviewing Skills Interviewing Skills & Techniques& Techniques

‘Components’ of an interview

Group Exercise

An integrated Model for Guidance (Hambly, L. 2004)

Phase 1: Preparing the FoundationsEstablish effective communicationAgree the purposeAgree ground rules

Phase 2 : Establishing needsUnderstand the client’s story Identify significant barriersAgree needs

Phase 3 : Resolving needsAgree and commit to a plan of action Take actionAgree and record outcomes

F

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W

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What has been achieved ……from the practitioners point of view

• Credibility and confidence to underpin and justify what careers guidance is about and what it can achieve.

• ‘Celebrate’ and recognise the high level of skills and professionalism amongst Careers Wales guidance practitioners.

• ‘Celebrate’ and recognise the high level of complexity of the guidance process.

• Enable practitioners to have clarity and vision in relation to their role and their raison d’être.

• Facilitate and enable informed reflection & CPD for guidance practitioners.

What has been achieved ……from the practitioners point of view

• Provided stability and consistency for guidance practitioners in Careers Wales, regardless of changes that happen with the National Occupational Standards, the NVQ and any future revisions in guidance qualifications.

• Brought about coherence for Careers Wales service design and delivery.

• Facilitated benchmarking to share good practice and raise standards nationally.

“Responses from practitioners to the Guidance Standards have been very positive, as reaffirming and strengthening what the Careers Advisers perceive as being the core of their professional role.”

Prof Tony Watts

Careers Wales: A Review in an International Perspective, 2009

What has been achieved ….Outcomes for Careers Wales

• A recognised Careers Wales brand for standards of careers guidance, as opposed to generic advice and guidance.• Shared and agreed definitions, standards and expectations from the organisation’s and practitioners point of view.• Ability to benchmark Guidance Standards across Careers Wales in order to continuously improve and develop. • Enhanced status of career guidance as a profession.

What has been achieved ….Outcomes for Careers Wales

• Recognition of the value of the standards by Prof. Tony Watts in his report: Careers Wales: A review in an International Perspective, 2009

• Clarity for customers, clients, stakeholders (WAG) and partner organisations of expectations of guidance.

• Collaboration with HMI (Estyn) to agree required standards career guidance within Careers Wales.

• Standards of service developed to improve outcomes for clients but not overt impact measures.

Client outcomes from a guidance interview. HMI Estyn, 2009Evaluation, as a result of the interview :

1. FOCUSHow well focused is the client? -

More, Not discussed, No Change, Less

2. INFORMED CHOICESHow realistic are client’s aims in relation to abilities, personal profile and

opportunities?How well informed is the client about the content and entry requirements of

options?How aware is the client of the scope or breadth of options within their career aim?

3. PLANNINGHow effective is the client’s plan to realise his/her objectives and aims?How clear and SMART are short term objectives, and how well do these take

account of potential barriers?

Careers Wales Guidance Standards

Summary

• Celebration of the guidance profession!

• Recognising skills and professionalism.

• Gateway to CPD.

• Clarity, vision and raison d’être.

• Consistency, assessment and moderation.

• Measuring outcomes for clients.

Next steps …?• Revisit the Careers Wales Guidance Standards

in the context of outcome implications for the client.

• Revisit ‘Assessment’ Framework attached to the standards in the context of QCF to provide a robust ongoing quality assurance process for careers guidance ‘interactions’.

• Develop a more formal CPD interface between careers guidance practitioners and the standards.

• Benchmark Careers Wales Guidance Standards with other ‘guidance standards’.

Moving into the ‘new world’• In the light of the outcome of the review, look at the

application of the standards across the ‘careers family’ in Wales.

• Can the standards be applied effectively to telephone and ‘on line’ interactions?

• Will the Careers Wales Guidance Standards coexist with the new qualification?

• Is there a need for stand alone UK careers guidance standards?

• How does the development of career self-management skills, targeting and segmentation of client groups, impact on the view of ‘good guidance’?

• How can the ‘whole client experience’ be quality assured effectively and coherently?

Discussion forum