Background to the Research

• This report presents the findings of a survey of the provision for careers education in post primary schools in Northern Ireland. The survey was undertaken by the Education and Training Inspectorate in the 1999-2000 year and complements the range of inspection activities such as general and focused inspections, carried out by the Inspectorate.
  

Research Approach

• The survey explored the quality of the provision in the six core components and also the supporting structures and resources for careers education in schools. Schools were asked for a minimum of information in advance of the survey, but all provided their timetable for the taught programme of careers education, details on qualifications held by staff involved in the careers programme and their involvement in recent in-service training relevant to careers education.
• During during the survey, a team of inspectors visited 74 careers lessons and interviewed 242 pupils in groups containing up to six pupils. Additionally, discussions were held with individual careers teachers, the teachers in charge of the careers departments, heads of a sample of other subject departments and with representatives of the senior management team in each of the schools.
  

Main Findings

• Approximately two-thirds of the schools have a written policy on careers education which is suitably linked to the school's aims and which identifies the main strategies for implementing their programme of careers education and areas for development.
• The provision for careers education in approximately half of the schools is comprehensive and provides an appropriate range of experiences which contribute significantly to the decisions which pupils make about their future careers.
• In approximately three-quarters of the schools, timetabled lessons in careers education are provided for each year group from year 10.
• The quality of teaching is consistently good in most of the timetabled careers classes observed during the survey. An appropriate range of strategies is used to engage pupils in relevant work and most respond with interest and enthusiasm. A minority of the individual lesson observed did not engage the pupils effectively in work which was sufficiently challenging.
• The programmes of careers education for pupils enable most of hem to enhance their understanding of the career options which match their aspirations.
• All pupils who participate in work-experience, gain useful insight into specific vocational areas.
• The development of careers education as a cross-curricular theme within other areas of study is poor in a majority of schools.
• About three-quarters of the schools provide guidance interviews systematically for pupils in years 10 and 12. In almost all schools, time constraints prevent guidance interviews being provided systematically for pupils other than those in years 10 and 12, although most schools reported that they arrange interviews for pupils who seek additional guidance.
• A majority of schools provide ready access to good quality information on the careers and post-16 education and training courses available to young people when they leave school.
• Almost all of the schools provide pupils with opportunities to gain useful insights into the world of work through well-organised periods of work experience, talks from speakers representing specific occupational sectors, mock interviews and events organised by organisations such as Industry Matters. The staff in schools work hard to secure suitable placements with employers and to maintain effective links with groups of employers.
• Opportunities for pupils to engage effectively and enhance their skills in personal career planning are developed in just under half of the schools. In a majority of schools, the personal career planning process is not given sufficient emphasis in helping pupils to refine progressively the decisions which they make about options open to them on leaving school.
• Information and communication technology is used well to support the work in careers education in about half of the schools.
• There are deficiencies in the management of the careers programmes in about one-third of the schools.
• All schools have effective links with a range of employers, providers of further education and training, and with organisations involved in giving advice and guidance about careers and progression routes to young people in preparation for them leaving school.
• There are deficiencies in the provision or use of accommodation for careers education in just over half of the schools.
• In a significant minority of the schools, the teacher who lead the work of the careers department, have specific qualifications in careers education. The majority of other teachers involved in supporting the work of the schools in careers education do not have specialist qualifications.
• The staff involved in careers education in about half of the schools have not attended sufficient, recent coursed to maintain their expertise in developments in careers education.
• Almost all schools have service level agreements with careers officers from the Training and Employment Agency.