About us

• Initiatives
  • City Challenge
  • Curriculum reform
  • DCS succession planning
  • Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)
  • Local Leaders of Education
  • Leadership for narrowing the gap
  • National Challenge
  • National Leaders of Education and National Support Schools Programme
  • Primary leadership
  • Research Associate Programme
  • School business management development
  • Succession planning
  • Previous initiatives

Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)

CEIAG as a leadership issue

CEIAG has four essential and interlinked principles:

• careers education – a planned programme in the curriculum that gives students the knowledge and skills for planning and managing their careers
• careers information – including learning options, skills, occupations, labour market information and progression routes
• careers advice and guidance – personalised help from specialist advisers to identify long-term goals and plan steps to attain them. These advisers are to be appropriately qualified and receive ongoing CPD
• work-related learning – experiences within and outside of the curriculum that help students learn about economic well being, careers and enterprise

From our initial research into the leadership of IAG in 18 schools, it is evident that young people experience high quality and impartial CEIAG when it is embedded in the practice of the school and is led effectively and with commitment from the very top. This can contribute to successful outcomes in terms of achievement, commitment and personal development and well being and our final reports and case studies, available below, reinforce this thesis. It is now necessary to disseminate the findings widely and work with leaders to ensure they understand that CEIAG is a leadership imperative and will help to support the leadership of the secondary curriculum.

Our challenge is making explicit the need for reform and change amongst a leadership workforce facing unprecedented change.

Supporting information

The white paper, Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system, stated that "all secondary school pupils should have access to high-quality careers education and information, advice and guidance so they can make informed choices about learning, work and lifestyles". This is to be linked to the Ofsted inspection framework.

Statutory Guidance: Impartial Careers Education was launched last year. This guidance advised headteachers and teachers-in-charge about how to meet their statutory duties in relation to careers education and how to ensure that the young people for whom they are responsible receive the support they need. The next white paper is due to be launched in the autumn and, through working with the Department for Education Careers Taskforce, and from the public announcement of the Education Minister, we know that CEIAG will continue to be a priority for this coming year.

Resources

• Impartial careers education: principles into practice - booklet illustrating the new principles for careers education.
• Impartial careers education: effective leadership of information, advice and guidance - report summarising aspects of good practice across the secondary schools involved in our research to identify effective leadership approaches to the delivery of IAG.
• Equality, self-belief and choice: impartial careers education: implementing Principle 5 - booklet identifying leadership best practice from 10 schools actively promoting equal opportunities and challenging stereotyping in line with Principle 5 of the statutory guidance for impartial careers education
• Diagnostic tool for school leaders - tool to help you identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement in current arrangements. The examples under each heading illustrate best practice.
• Audit tool for careers co-ordinators - materials to help you review your programme of careers education against the six principles of impartial careers education set out in the statutory guidance; identify development priorities to share with senior leaders; and consider how senior leaders could address the development priorities identified.
• Cegnet - the website of the careers education and IAG support programme. All resource material available to download.
• SSAT IAG training frameworks - information, advice and guidance: frameworks for bespoke training.
• Diploma support - 14-19 Workforce Support and 14-19 Leadership and Management Development Programme
• The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) has commissioned a range of new resources to assist teachers in providing career-related IAG. These materials will support teachers within formal lessons and outside the curriculum.

Further information

Email iag@nationalcollege.org.uk for further information.

View the new strategy Quality, Choice and Aspiration - A strategy for young people's information, advice and guidance (published 26 October 2009).

View the 21st century white paper, Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system. Reference to quality IAG can be found within the Pupil Guarantee section on pages 35-41 (published June 2009).