National Career Guidance Show

Event summary

This report provides an overview of the seminars attended at the National Career Guidance Show (NCGS) held at London Olympia on 19 March 2019.  The free one-day convention is part of four annual National Career Guidance Shows held nationwide.  The event was organised by Prospects Events and the Career Development Institute (CDI), in connection with the Shaw Trust, a registered charity.  The shows are aimed at those working in the career development sector, with the intention of expanding knowledge of the labour market, research, training and courses.  The convention’s major focus was on “Pathways to Careers”, highlighting the many different routes which can be taken to enter a particular career.

Career coaching techniques

Julia Yates, Senior Lecturer at City, University of London, introduced a number of coaching tools which can be used to help clients overcome barriers to career development. Common difficulties include not knowing what they want to do; not knowing what their skills are; and not feeling confident.  Encouraging clients to think about their future “Possible Selves” can help them overcome barriers to thinking about career options in the present.  Clients are encouraged to imagine what they could be in the future, and then work backwards to the present, to consider what their next step might be.  Clients who find it difficult to identify their strengths can use online tools such as those provided by AuthenticHappiness.com.  Strengths are closely associated with wellbeing and fulfilment, and the more that are used in the workplace, the greater the job satisfaction.  Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can address confidence issues by acknowledging positive and negative feelings in order to minimise the latter.

Empowering individuals to make career choices

Joanne Carrington, Careers Adviser at Morrisby, outlined careers guidance tools that advisors can use to help young people identify their strengths and build confidence.  She recommended Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences as a framework for identifying key strengths.  The following questions can encourage self-reflection.  How do they know when they have a strength? What do they think their strengths are?  What do they enjoy doing?  What do others think?  Raising self-awareness will build confidence.  Young people should also be encouraged to seek affirmation from those who are important to them; take part in positive opportunities, and practice and build upon their strengths.  Morrisby’s Fast Tomato online careers guidance product supports self-reflection and identification of key strengths.

Workplace skills: useful for university

Timothy Whittlesea, Outreach Manager at Middlesex University London, explored key workplace skills students are expected to bring to university, and how they can be developed.  These include time management, independent working, team working, writing, confidence, communication and problem-solving.  Such skills can’t be taught, they need to be developed through authentic tasks, followed by self-reflection.  Authentic tasks are “real” activities, for example volunteering and undertaking work experience; being involved in clubs, teams, and societies; taking part in community activities and the performing arts; and entering competitions.  Reflecting upon these activities will improve future performance and help prepare young people to apply for jobs and produce personal statements, which also require reflection.

Engaging students who say: ‘I don’t know what I want to do’

Peter Mulligan, Co-founder of SACU, highlighted a number of free ways to help reluctant students engage in thinking about their future, including some available through SACU Career Cloud.  To help students take the first step, make it fun, with no wrong answers.  Emphasise “exploring”, not “searching”.  Create a common language/reference points.  Avoid information overload.  Take the longer view (career not just course).  Show exciting options and open their eyes.  The SACU Career Cloud Quiz invites students to select images they like, to build ideas of what they might like.  This creates a career cloud of terms which lead onto careers pathways. Labour market information, number of jobs for the future, salaries, opportunities in the local area are also addressed.  This leads students onto careers websites, degrees and apprenticeships.   SACU Career Cloud is tailored to Ofsted recommendations, and allows sharing of information between students and parents, something not usually easy to achieve.

Are you ready for employment?

Emma Brown, Sales Coordinator for Adviza, outlined how Adviza’s Framework for Intensive Support (FIS) can be used to help inexperienced young people get into sustainable employment.  The presentation highlighted some of the theories which underpin their framework, including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural coaching, and neuroscience.  The framework addresses themes of motivation, confidence and behaviour, and enables young people to measure their progress.  During consultations, students select from a choice of FIS cards the statements that are most relevant to them. The support provided through this system is intended not just to help young people get into employment, but to have the necessary attitudes, skills and behaviours to remain in employment.

Future skills: what skills will be in demand and what can the sector do to help young people better prepare?

Jed Cinnamon, Nesta Programme Manager for Education, outlined Nesta’s research findings concerning trends and projections for future skills demands. The following skills and occupations are growing: interpersonal skills, higher order cognitive skills, healthcare, research and technology.  Conversely, strength, repair, machine operatives and elementary administration are shrinking.  Skills most likely to be in demand in the future include judgement and decision making, fluency of ideas, active learning, systems evaluation, originality, learning strategies, deductive reasoning, and complex problem solving.  Interpersonal skills such as social awareness, understanding of others and ability to collaborate will also be needed. Broad based and more specialised knowledge will also be required, such as English language, history, philosophy, administration and management, STEM and foreign languages.  Learning skills will also be in demand, for example the ability to set goals, ask questions and get feedback, and the ability to apply knowledge meaningfully in different contexts.  Higher order cognitive skills including originality and the ability to come up with different ideas will also be needed.  Nesta are investing £500,000 in early intervention projects amongst 11-18 year olds to promote social and emotional skills.  They have also developed a UK skills taxonomy to identify skills demand and supply.

Conclusion and recommendations

While the LRC is not directly involved in careers guidance, it contributes to Gatsby Benchmark 2, which pertains to learning from career and labour market information. 

“Good information is an important foundation of any programme of careers and enterprise learning and includes details about local and national labour markets, skills shortages, predicted growth areas and what employers are looking for from applicants. Although there is a large proportion of information online, the best colleges also maintain learning resource centres with careers books, posters and prospectuses” (Careers & Enterprise Company ca. 2019).

Over the past six months the LRC has been working closely with the College’s Careers Advice and Guidance team to promote careers resources.  LRC stock was exhibited at the North Road One Stop Careers Shop event held during National Careers Week.  We have recently assigned a dedicated budget to update and develop the LRC’s careers stock, and prospectuses are now being reintroduced. The library catalogue and Moodle pages link to and promote the Careers Advice and Guidance (CAG) service.  The LRC will also be providing a venue for forthcoming CAG workshops on how to use labour market information.

The LRC supports the development of independent and team working skills by providing a suitable environment for students to study in, either individually or in groups. The study environment of the LRC, combined with staff interventions, can also assist in the development of interpersonal and learning skills. Group activities in LRC information skills sessions provide further opportunities for collaboration and practice in problem solving and communication (written and verbal). Authentic tasks are more difficult to provide in the limited time we have during LRC training.  However, we are hoping to introduce more workplace related problem-solving scenarios within sessions. 

The LRC could link to some free online information sources, such as SACU Career Cloud, via the LRC’s databases web page and Moodle pages.  However, we need to be careful not to encroach upon CAG’s area of expertise, so this may be restricted.  Training could potentially be provided internally to LRC staff, to increase knowledge of labour market information sources, to assist with student enquiries.

               

References

Careers & Enterprise Company, ca. 2019. The Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit: practical information and guidance for colleges [online]. London: The Careers & Enterprise Company. Available from: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/1073_thegatsbybenchmarktoolkit_colleges_online3.pdf [Accessed 1 May 2019].

Prospects Services, 2019.  London seminars and talks 2019 [online]. Available from: https://prospectsevents.co.uk/ncgs-london-seminars-2019/?gator_td=f0mpozzKtja3PkrOFmpQwmZOV9mvIQi3xvZF2WDazD5IwUis4yU3rGErf09VruiNdEtOtxvknXW%2bAuoqzui9hXn%2fF6e0EDKniswOZsR7Ebeic59EPUZ1H3Dor%2b9WcLaQ [Accessed 1 May 2019].