Careers guidance for Governors and Trustees on National Careers Week 2020

This week marks National Careers Week 2020, the celebration of careers guidance for young people across the UK, which provides pupils with information and resources about taking the next steps into the world of work. And this week serves as a timely reminder of the important role that School Governors and Trustees can play in careers education, overseeing a school or MAT’s efforts in providing high quality careers guidance, paving the way for pupils to make the connection between what they are learning today and what they aspire to do in the future.

To provide guidance about the role of governing boards in careers guidance, the National Governance Association (NGA) have published a helpful guide which provides focus on how governing boards have a key role in ensuring their school(s) not only does what is required by law, but gives its pupils the tools and knowledge to make a success of their lives. This guidance also sets out the duties of the governing boards of primary and secondary schools in the context of the broader aims of the government’s careers strategy, alongside the key resources, sources of information and data to consider when monitoring the provision and quality of careers guidance at your school(s).

Careers guidance: the role of the governing board provides focus on:

1. Careers strategy

2. Challenging at primary school

3. Statutory duties for governing boards of secondary schools

4. A stable careers programme at secondary school

5. Finance

6. Monitoring progress

7. Resources

8. Further sources of information

Such guidance is relevant in the wake of charity Education and Employers’ study ‘Disconnected’. In early 2020, the charity published a major international study revealing the disconnect between young people’s career aspirations and jobs in the UK, whether current vacancies or projected demand. The results of which were striking, shining a light on the lack of relationship between opportunity and aspiration with a vast number of young people aspiring to a relatively small amount of careers. More research from the charity is available here.

To hear about career related learning, Education and Employers run the programmes Inspiring the Future and Primary Futures which connect volunteers from the world of work to schools.

If you haven’t yet started the journey to becoming a School Governor or Trustee with Inspiring Governance, then visit www.inspiringgovernance.org/volunteers