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Opportunity Areas Insight Guide Careers
Opportunity in careers
Opportunity Areas Careers education, information,
he long-term objective of the Opportunity
T
advice and guidance in the
Areas (OA) programme is to transform the Opportunity Areas
life chances of children and young people
in 12 areas of the country with low social Too often, where you start in life dictates where
mobility, while learning more about what you end up – with factors such as geography,
works in improving education outcomes socio-economic background, ethnicity and
in coastal, rural and urban areas. The gender all playing a part in determining access
programme seeks to tackle regional inequality to rewarding careers and lifetime earnings. We
by convening resources and using evidence- know, for example, that pay gaps between the
based approaches, as well as testing new richest and poorest are two and a half times
ones, to unlock the barriers that hold young larger in the least mobile areas.1
people back in geographic areas where the
educational challenges are greatest. Levelling up these disparities is at the heart
of the Opportunity Areas programme and a
The programme is being evaluated and reports key part of the Government’s work to support
will be available during the course of 2022. the most vulnerable as we chart our recovery
In the meantime, with this series of Insight from the pandemic and build back better.
Guides, we are sharing the lived experience The careers projects in Opportunity Areas
and felt impact from those working hard to also support the Government’s Plan for Jobs,
make a difference in the Opportunity Areas. which is helping to protect and create new
jobs, as well as providing tailored support to
Further information about the programme help people find work in the face of economic
can be found on GOV.UK and employment challenges.
Front cover: West Somerset College and
Somerset Education Business Partnership
1 Social Mobility Commission (2020), The Long Shadow of Deprivation, page 5.
2 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
One way the Opportunity Area programme The Careers and Enterprise Company
has been making a difference is by bringing (CEC) and National Careers Service have
national and local partners together from played an influential role supporting the
businesses, education, civil society and delivery of high‑quality careers education,
community organisations to unlock the information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)
potential of young people and meet the needs in Opportunity Areas.
of the economy. The approach in each area
has been led by local partnership boards
and driven by data, evidence and a shared Who is this guide for?
determination to help young people find
and follow their career paths. • Practitioners (e.g. Careers Leaders) and
system leaders with an interest in careers
There is now a clear definition of what education, recognising the crucial role that
good careers guidance looks like, in the both play in addressing challenges.
form of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks
• Anyone working in a social mobility ‘cold
for Good Careers Guidance:
spot’ who wants to learn from peers
who face similar challenges in careers
1. A stable careers programme
education.2
2. Learning from career and labour market
information Each guide that we publish will be followed
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil by a webinar and online workshop to connect
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers interested parties with those with experience
5. Encounters with employers and employees in the featured projects. If you would like to
find out more or attend a webinar, contact:
6. Experiences of workplaces
Opportunity.Areas@education.gov.uk
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance
2 Cold spots are areas where young people from poorer backgrounds have fewer opportunities to succeed then their
peers elsewhere. See www.gov.uk/government/organisations/social-mobility-commission for further details.
3 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
What this guide covers The following case studies are included:
This guide, the first in a series, covers a Norwich Careers Facilitator Network:
selection of Opportunity Area place-based establishing a network for secondary schools
careers projects that have tackled complex to share best practice and deliver large‑scale
and multi-faceted obstacles to social mobility events with employers so that young people
and regional inequality. Some of the best are prepared for working life.
examples of local solutions to local problems
are listed here, covering a number of themes in Blackpool Careers Journey: bringing
careers education, from best practice sharing together national and local partners to
networks through to post‑16 NEET (not in create a joined-up approach with an online
education, employment or training) reduction. platform to help young people connect with
Our aim is to cover tried and tested projects local careers.
that vary in cost, showing where match-
funding has been secured. West Somerset Careers Education,
Information, Advice and Guidance:
We hope that these insights will support work tackling rural isolation by creating a network
to overcome similar challenges for young of Cornerstone Employers to provide expertise,
people elsewhere. strategic support and events for schools and
make it easier for more employers and the
self‑employed to engage with schools.3
Doncaster Careers Hub: adapting a
successful pilot to meet local needs involving
every school and college, including Alternative
Provision and special schools, to help young
people find a post‑16 option that suits them.
3 https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/employers-volunteers/cornerstone-employers
4 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
Key insights
1 2 3 4 5
Training and development A clear local plan is Effort is required to hold Importance should The importance of
is critical. This gives essential, with realistic together partnerships be placed on both place/locality in
practitioners time and but challenging that can identify continuity (a determined identifying problems
space to explore new milestones. barriers – in order to focus on implementing and providing the
ways of working, remove them – and an agreed plan) and context and framework
including with colleagues then identify credible pace (maintaining the for solutions.
outside their immediate and granular solutions momentum required
institutional environment. to implement. to make a difference
in a complex local
environment).
5 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
Observations from a Partnership Board Chair
Each OA has a local partnership board, headed by an independent chair
and supported by a Department for Education Head of Delivery. This board
comprises local stakeholders from schools, further education, businesses and
beyond to ensure a tailored and localised approach to delivering priorities and
robust challenge.
Almost everyone’s career trajectory – perhaps
like our love lives – is obvious in retrospect
but utterly unpredictable in advance. When
we’re young, we have no idea how things are
going to turn out, and it’s a major source of
anxiety and concern. This is the root challenge
for careers education: every one of us makes
choices with far-reaching implications that
depend on a complicated equation where the
elements include ourselves, and how well we
know ourselves, the choices and information
available to us and – the unknown factor in
every career choice equation – our sense of
what the future holds.
Professor Sir Chris Husbands
6 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
We’ve known for many years that careers collaboration and, perhaps the most
education, and the information, advice and important, being ambitious and imaginative.
guidance that underpins it, is an area where
greater focus and ambition is needed. Young Each of the four featured Opportunity Areas
people need access to careers education that is different, and the local needs analysis
stretches ambition. Too often, young people highlighted quite different patterns and
do not understand the full range of choices priorities. But there are some common
available to them. The ideas they have about themes. The intense relationship between
employment and work are often out of lack of opportunity, disadvantage and place
date and stereotyped. And all this is made is apparent, with stark data laying bare the
more difficult by the pace of change in the disconnect between local young people
labour market. and opportunities, which begins very young
and only deepens with disadvantage.
Rapid technological change, rapidly evolving
work practices, changing markets and now Equally clear is the sense of dissatisfaction
the unpredictability of the nation’s recovery with conventional arrangements that is shared
from a devastating pandemic all make careers by employers – who are often very enthusiastic
education an enormous challenge. There’s no about supporting young people but find it hard
perfect solution to the challenge, but we owe to know how best to help – and teachers.
it to our young people to give them the best The accounts here demonstrate the critical
tools we can offer to help them navigate the importance of local analysis and engagement.
choices before them.
But local initiative needs a structure, and
Addressing this problem demands some a striking feature of the accounts is the
powerful tools. The case studies in this importance of the structure provided by
insight guide set out some of them. The the Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers
use of national frameworks via the Gatsby guidance. In almost all the areas, the Gatsby
Benchmarks frames local decision-making, Benchmarks provided a clear sense of what
but then what is required is a combination ‘good’ looks like, offered with clarity and
of forensic analysis of grounded local data, structure to focus local initiative.
determined planning, inter-institutional
Image of Doncaster Campsmount Academy
7 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
Even so, the gap between analysis and local environment). Fifth, and implied in all this,
national structure is where the hard work is the importance of place: the case studies
lies. Here, the case studies provide powerful here demonstrate the importance of locality in …good foundations
evidence of the importance of perhaps five identifying problems, but also in providing the
key features. First, training and development context and framework for solutions. Young can be laid with
is critical, giving practitioners time and space
to explore new ways of working, including
people live their lives in places with quite
specific characteristics; grasping the power
determination,
with colleagues outside their immediate of place and the importance of context is a commitment and
institutional environment. Second, a clear local powerful tool.
plan is essential, with realistic but challenging imagination.
milestones, and all the more important in The case studies here are defiantly optimistic:
an arena with overlapping and disparate good progress can be made in understanding
interest groups. Above all, the plan provides the changing landscape of challenges,
a mechanism for the allocation of resource. opportunities and initiatives. We can make
Third, effort is required to hold together a difference. All of the case studies raise the
partnerships, putting together what one of question of sustainability and legacy. This is a
the case studies calls a ‘trusted and active more difficult question. They all demonstrate
network’ that can identify barriers in order to that good foundations can be laid with
remove them, and then identify credible and determination, commitment and imagination.
granular solutions to implement. Collaborative Ensuring that the gains made are not lost is
working is not a soft option. It involves what the next big challenge.
one of the case studies calls ‘being relentless’
about checking who has something to offer, Professor Sir Chris Husbands
bringing them to the table, and showing Chair of the Doncaster Opportunity Areas
them where they fit, even, or especially, when Partnership Board
things become difficult. Fourth, there is the
importance in all this of both continuity (a
determined focus on implementing an agreed
plan) and pace (maintaining the momentum
required to make a difference in a complex
8 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
Norwich case study
Norwich Careers
Improving careers support and raising
aspirations are, together, one of four priorities
What was the problem?
for the Norwich Opportunity Area. Too few
• Head teachers told us the wide range of
disadvantaged students in the city go on
careers offers and providers for schools
to education, employment or training after
was overwhelming, and the capacity for
Year 11 or Year 13, and very small numbers
them to engage was limited.
of young people from certain wards go on
to Higher Education.4 The Careers Facilitator • Norwich schools were not meeting the
Network was designed to tackle these issues. expectation, set out in the 2017 careers
strategy, for schools to meet the Gatsby
The network brought every secondary Benchmarks by 2020.
school together to improve Compass
scores against all eight Gatsby Benchmarks, • Schools were not delivering enough
share best practice and deliver large-scale employer encounters and it was not
employer engagement activities. The project clear which ones were the
has supported Norwich pupils to access a most effective.
meaningful, engaging and high-quality careers
programme that has helped them to make
informed decisions about their futures.
Image of Norwich Careers Facillitators
4 The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in Norwich who went on to
education or employment after Year 13 (KS5) in 2014/15 was 75%,
compared to 84% nationally. In the 2017/18 academic year, this rose to
85% and was above the national rate of 84%. In the 2018/19 academic,
year this figure rose again to 86% to above the national average of 85%.
10 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers• Employers in Norwich told us they were • 12 members of staff, including teachers
enthusiastic about supporting young people and support staff, were trained as
The network but found it hard to know how best to help. Careers Facilitators to deliver the
Gatsby Benchmarks across participating
continues to • Young people in Norwich told us they secondary schools in Norwich through a
wanted a curriculum that prepared them
be a source for working life, provided effective careers
series of monthly CPD workshops. This
provided additional expertise and capacity
advice (particularly from young, local role
of inspiration models) and delivered more encounters
for existing Careers Leaders in schools to
deliver improved careers programmes to
and support. with employers. support students.
• CPD workshops included updates from
Implementation activities school careers and enterprise providers so
and successes schools could know more about the support
available and incorporate it into high-quality
The Norwich Opportunity Area established cohesive programmes for their students.
the Aspirations Working Group to focus • Careers Facilitators developed a
on these issues. It prioritised supporting collaborative network to support each
and strengthening the careers education other and share, review and improve their
infrastructure and co-ordinating the best individual school careers strategies. This
use of available support and opportunities. improved confidence significantly:
Alongside this, provider Form the Future
was commissioned to deliver a two-year “The network continues to be a source
programme of Continuing Professional of inspiration and support. It provides
Development (CPD), facilitate regular meetings up to date and timely advice, great
to develop a peer network and encourage all contacts, inspiring discussion and
secondary schools in Norwich to participate. ideas about resources which I might
otherwise have been unaware of.”
Careers Facilitator – Open Academy
11 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers“I find the Careers Facilitators network – The delivery of two large-scale employer
really useful and when others share engagement events attended by over
useful insights and tips it gives me 1,200 students from across Norwich. terrific event
A
confidence with what I’m doing.” This helped to improve the quality and
Careers Facilitator – breadth of local careers events and and very useful,
Jane Austen College saved time and resources for both
schools and employers. The events were
we met providers
• Action plans were created to address areas positively received by students, parents we didn’t even
and teachers, with 88% of participating
of local need leading to:
students saying they had learnt about know existed.
– Workshops to challenge career new post-16 options and felt more
stereotypes for students in Years 7 and 8. informed about next steps and more
– Improved information for students and confident about their future.
teachers about local growth sectors.
“As a school we would never be able
– Resources for the delivery of CPD to do something like this ourselves, or
sessions that championed the value give our students this much information
of careers across all year groups and about options, so it was a real success.”
curriculum areas and provided strategies
for conversations about careers to be Participant who attended employer
included in all lessons and linked to engagement events
pupils’ classroom learning.
• Schools agreed a co-ordinated calendar
of employer-linked activities, which was
widely promoted to companies who
were keen to support, and shared active
industry contacts.
12 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersOutput measures Project costs
• At the end of the 2019/20 academic year, £149,390 over the 2018/19 and 2019/20
participating schools had consolidated academic years:
their progress towards meeting the Gatsby
Benchmarks, outperforming the national • £88,680 in grants to schools to add
average for its scores against seven of capacity, for example paying for cover
the benchmarks. teachers or overtime, for 12 Careers
Facilitators to be released from timetables
• The Opportunity Area’s target was to create one afternoon per week to access CPD
36,837 meaningful encounters between and network support, and to focus on
pupils and employers by July 2020, which developing their careers strategies.
is equivalent to four per pupil. It exceeded
this by 185% with 68,218 employer • £49,750 to commission support, training
encounters achieved by July 2020. and expert advice to upskill schools and
to co-ordinate citywide careers events.
In Autumn 2018, just four schools had
achieved Gatsby Benchmark 5 (encounters • £10,960 to support schools to build
with employers and employees). By the end employer networks and provide additional
of the 2019/20 academic year, in spite of employer engagements.
the disruption of the pandemic, 11 out of 15
schools had fully achieved Benchmark 5, with
the remaining four having partially achieved it.
13 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersSustainability Regular network meetings were well attended
throughout the 2020 autumn term, now
Funding for the Careers Facilitator programme chaired by the Enterprise Co-ordinator
came to a planned end in July 2020, but the for Norwich, part of the New Anglia Local
network continues for 2020/21. Schools say Enterprise Partnership Careers Hub.
the Careers Facilitator role has simplified the The programme includes a series of guest
communication of careers offers, streamlined speakers, updates from local providers and
engagement with employers and reduced schools sharing their own best practice and
burdens on schools. They have valued the learning. Two additional schools outside the
positive impact this has had on pupils and OA boundary have also requested to join the
the guidance they receive. network and participate regularly.
As a result, eight out of the 12 participating “Involvement in the Careers Facilitator
schools have committed to the ongoing Network really helped us to develop
provision of a named Careers Facilitator, our careers strategy and to value the
using their own resources to continue their importance of careers across the
participation in the network meetings and school, leading to the appointment of
ensure dedicated additional time is focused an additional full time Careers Lead.”
on careers. Secondary head teachers have Assistant Head Teacher –
committed to continuing with two annual City of Norwich School
citywide careers events, with agreement
from local stakeholders, businesses and
venues to support them.
14 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersKey ingredients for success • Continuity and pace – regular monthly meetings with a consistent framework made the network cohesive. New members were incorporated well and could draw on the strength of the community. • Building a trusted and active network – the time for schools’ careers staff to share, support and discuss barriers and solutions with each other was invaluable to improve the offer for pupils and to find creative ways to continue with careers provision during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. • Finding a solution for the continuation of school career support – regular and ongoing support through wider partners is needed to ensure all schools continue to make good progress and to understand the changing landscape of new opportunities and initiatives. 15 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers
Blackpool case study
Blackpool Careers Journey –
preparing young people for work
The Blackpool Careers Journey is a It was identified that a range of careers
co‑ordinated offer of careers support for interventions were in place, but not within
all children and young people to help them a coherent and aligned model. They also
prepare for work. The most vulnerable young identified gaps that required investment
people, who are at risk of becoming NEET and were not fully measured.
or who are NEET, are also targeted with
additional help. To address this, the Blackpool Careers Journey
was established to provide interventions for
Young people leaving secondary schools all children and young people to help them
and starting college now have a much clearer prepare for work.
view of their future career choices. As a result,
Blackpool has been identified as an area of
good practice in the 2020 Careers and
Enterprise Company report.
The Blackpool Opportunity Area programme
set up a working group including the Careers
and Enterprise Company (CEC), Lancashire
Local Enterprise Partnership, National
Citizenship Service Trust, and voluntary sector
and training providers, alongside stakeholders
from the Pupil Referral Unit and post-16
colleges. Collectively, they reviewed the current
careers offer in the town to decide what
was required.
17 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersLancashire Careers Hub resources and of disadvantaged pupils in Blackpool who
Opportunity Area investment were combined went on to education, employment or
to: customise a new digital careers resource training after Year 11 (KS4) in the 2014/15
(Start), engage schools through the Enterprise academic year was 82%, compared to 88%
Co-ordinator, and engage employers through nationally. In the 2018/19 academic year,
the local Responsible Business Network this figure increased to 85% but was still
and Cornerstone Employers while providing below the national average of 89%.
wrap‑around support for young people who
are NEET and at risk of NEET. This case • In some cases, vulnerable young
study particularly focuses on Start and the people and those that are NEET are
wrap‑around support (NEET projects). more motivated to get ‘a real job’ than
to continue with education, however,
they lack employability skills. As a result,
What was the problem? they require targeted support to prepare
them for post‑16 education, training
• The Opportunity Area programme identified or work.
a disconnect in Blackpool between local
young people and local careers. Young
people had limited knowledge of local Implementation activities
career opportunities and in some cases and successes
felt they would have to leave Blackpool to
find a worthwhile career. At the same time,
A Blackpool Opportunity Area working group,
the LEP Local Labour Market Information
which oversaw the Blackpool Careers Journey,
indicated a skills shortage over the next
developed the following projects to address
10 years.
careers opportunities for young people in
• Vulnerable young people who may apply the town.
for post-16 education or training risk not
starting the course or dropping out in the • Start Blackpool – a digital platform to
early stages, potentially setting a ‘NEET connect local young people with local
churn’ pattern of being in and out of careers and help them prepare for work.
education and training. The proportion This was developed alongside U-Explore,
18 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careersa national EdTech company that specialises To date, 3,300 young people have actively
in careers guidance for young people in used Start Blackpool. The vision is for every
schools and colleges. The national careers young person in secondary school and
website, Start, was customised. The every young person in their first two years
website provides information and advice of college to actively use the site. As of
on local career opportunities, post-16 December 2020, 24% of the school and
education and training pathways. A digital college cohort are doing so.
learning platform, Thinkific, was added
to help create online learning activities, Pathways For All – a project that
including virtual work experiences. supports vulnerable young people at
risk of becoming NEET over the post‑16
Skills competency frameworks were then transition. It has built an evidence-based
added to specifically help young people approach to ensure there is a legacy of
develop and accredit the skills needed in what works and what does not. This was
the workplace. Schools were also able to jointly led by two organisations: Right to
use the platform’s data analytical functions Succeed, who champion a place-based
to track pupils’ progress as they prepare for approach to bringing the community
their next steps when they leave education together to transform outcomes for
to explore their future career. children, and Educational Diversity,
who provide education and support for
The project group ensured that Start children and young people not educated
Blackpool was developed in line with the in mainstream school.
Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers A key intervention was support from
guidance and to monitor performance. engagement coaches to help young people
965 young people have engaged with in Year 11 at risk of becoming NEET over
the two most popular modules, ‘interests the summer transition period and in the
and work ideas’ and ‘opening your eyes’. crucial early months of post‑16 education
According to a survey on the platform, the and training. As of December 2020, the
local employer video content has proved project has supported 245 young people
to be particularly popular with young people in total. This has been working with a very
at risk of becoming NEET. small number of schools with a view to
19 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careersapplying lessons learned to scale locally in work placements and paid internships;
order to support those at risk of becoming and support into work. These interventions
NEET in all schools. In March 2020, the are building skills where needed and
Educational Diversity project cohort had encouraging employers to give vulnerable
a NEET rate of 9.75%, which is half the young people an opportunity.
usual total NEET rate for the Education
Diversity leavers. Initially, support and work experience
placements took place face-to-face. Since
• Targeting young people who are the COVID-19 pandemic, support has been
NEET – this project has adapted an tailored to individual young people and
evidence‑based employability model redirected to phone and online, successfully
using Individual Placement and adapting to the individual young person’s
Support, which helps adults with severe preferences and circumstances. Providing
mental health problems get into work. This work placements virtually has been a
adapted model has been piloted to work challenge, but despite this, the adapted
with young people in Blackpool who are online support has been sufficient to
NEET. It was made possible by Blackpool successfully place some young people
Council Employment Services’ Positive in work.
Steps into Work, who were appointed As of January 2021, 126 young people
to work alongside Blackpool Council have been supported since the start of the
Children’s Services. project, all receiving one-to-one support to
develop skills. 21 have participated in work
The project involved a workforce placements, four have been placed in paid
development aspect, with staff working internships and 15 have been placed in
alongside each other to assure model jobs. These successes are accelerating as
fidelity. This gained momentum as staff the project takes hold.
became more accustomed to the model
and started to see success stories in An independent evaluation of the collective
the support of young people. Support impact of projects is planned for 2020/21
includes: short development courses; and will be available on the Blackpool
support to move into further education, Opportunity Area website.
20 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersCosts “Early investment in careers programmes
to scale up activities in disadvantaged
• £143,000 – Start Blackpool (contract from cold spots has meant that areas like Early investment
Blackpool and Burnley in Lancashire
December 2018 - August 2021)
and Darlington and Stockton in Tees in careers
– Free licences for all secondary schools
and colleges.
Valley now rank amongst the highest
performing areas in the country.”
programmes
– It is anticipated that the platform Careers and Enterprise Company has meant
will have low maintenance costs
in future years.
report, ‘Careers Education in England’s
schools and colleges 2020’
that areas like
Blackpool now
• £411,000 – Pathways for All –
NEET Prevention (contract from Key ingredients for success rank amongst
June 2019 - August 2021)
• Take time to assess existing activity, identify the highest
– Of this total, £262,000 was
match‑funded through partners.
gaps and then invest in interventions to
address them.
performing areas
• £297,500 – Targeted NEET (contract from • A collaborative approach with stakeholders in the country.
June 2019 - August 2021) fosters ownership and increases the
chances of sustaining what works.
– There is optimism among project
partners that sustainability funding • Be relentless – checking who is out there
will see the continuation of this work. who has something to offer, bringing them
to the table, and showing them where they
fit within a coherent offer, in this case the
Blackpool Careers Journey.
21 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersWest Somerset case study
West Somerset – Delivering high‑quality Careers
Education, Information, Advice and Guidance
West Somerset is rural and coastal, covering
three areas of natural beauty. The small
What was the problem?
population is scattered across a significant
The combination of rurality, isolation and the
geographical footprint, with only 18 schools
economic profile can make it a challenge for
delivering education for five to 18 year olds,
young people to fully appreciate the wealth
in a mainly three-tier system. Three schools
of opportunities after full-time education and
deliver in the secondary phase, one of which
how they can achieve them. The proportion
has a sixth form.
of disadvantaged pupils in West Somerset who
went on to a UK higher education institution
The predominant employment sectors are after Year 13 (KS5) in 2015/16 was 26%,
hospitality and food services, agriculture, compared to 47% nationally. In the 2018/19
health and care services, retail, and leisure. academic year, this figure rose to 35%, but
There are, however, hi-tech businesses that was below the national average of 49%.
are providing new opportunities.
Research by the Careers and Enterprise
Company (CEC) has demonstrated
that employer engagement as part of
the school curriculum has an impact
on post‑16 outcomes.
Previous page: Heart of the South West Careers Hub
This page: SCC Somerset TalentED Talent Academies
23 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersImplementation activities • In conjunction with the CEC, an enterprise
co-ordinator was deployed to help schools
and successes work with local employers to improve
careers activities that were measured
The West Somerset Opportunity Area against the Gatsby Benchmarks.
collaborated with schools, employers and
other partners to deliver imaginative and • Young people engaged with a range of
high‑quality careers education and guidance. school-based activities connected to the
This network of cornerstone employers workplace, such as the Young Enterprise
included EDF, Butlins, Santander and the Company programme that provided a
NHS, who provided their own expertise, vehicle for both their needs and the growing
strategic support and events for schools to needs of businesses for adaptability and
make it easier for other employers and the employability skills.
self-employed to engage with schools. This
• Somerset County Council provided
work supports schools in meeting the standard
expertise, strategic input and boosted
of the national careers’ strategy, including
employer engagement activity through the
achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks.
TalentEd Academies, sharing workplace
experience and insights, and supporting the
• Working with schools, the programme
programme using the Somerset employer
has aligned Careers Education, Advice,
database and managing employer checks.
Information and Guidance (CEAIG)
programmes with the national careers’
strategy. Using the Gatsby Benchmarks to
evaluate, it has introduced Careers Leader
Training and networking opportunities
to ensure more rigour and expertise. It
has also embedded careers opportunities
across the curriculum.
24 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersOutput measures a breadth of knowledge and insight,
allowing students to break free of the
• 100% in the employer encounter notion that a hospital is only made up We feel this
of doctors and nurses. We found this
benchmarks 5 and 6 for 2019.
format worked well as students were programme has
• West Somerset College has embedded
CEIAG into the curriculum.
given smaller activities and jobs to do
whilst meeting various staff members. a real positive
• 15,974 employer engagement encounters
We have had feedback from our
impact on
have been delivered by the partnership over
three years up to 2020.
ward volunteers commenting on how students, staff
refreshing it was to have the students
• 156 Year 10 students at West Somerset with them and how helpful they were. We and patients.
College undertook work experience with 60 feel this programme has a real positive
employers to develop their understanding of impact on students, staff and patients.”
the workplace and the possibilities available Emily Glover, Apprenticeships and
to them. Work Experience Officer at NHS
Foundation Trust
“As a Cornerstone employer we are
looking to target West Somerset to • 1,000 students visited different employers
increase aspirations of students in this to undertake workshop activities, and meet
area and help them to recognise the apprentices and senior management to
NHS as a potential employer. learn more about jobs and career routes.
Through working in partnership with • In November 2020, over 2,900 students
West Somerset College we were able to took part in a digital careers fair, making
give local young people the opportunity over 25,000 visits to 60 exhibitors.
to see the internal workings of Minehead
Community Hospital and how in their “I really liked the college stands, I was
future careers they can also play a able to download their prospectuses
major part in helping their community. A and can now look at them anytime at
rotational programme offered students home with mum.”
25 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers“The EDF stand was great, was able to Project costs
ask questions and now feel that I can
see a path for me in years to come.” Somerset County Council and Somerset
• Careers inspiration and employability skills Education Business Partnership contributed
developed in a home learning environment time and their resources at no additional cost.
through the ‘My Futures’ careers challenge, The CEC activity was provided as part of the
involving workplace insight, self-reflection national Department for Education contract.
and onward planning. Employers provided The Opportunity Area provided funding over
workplace insight videos, created three years for some activities, as follows:
interactive student worksheets and hosted
the event resources online. • Careers fairs – £6,875
• Pupils gained an understanding of the • The Brilliant Club – £1,050
apprenticeship route promoted in schools,
• Implementing Grofar careers education
with employers engaged to promote the
software – £2,970
benefits.
• Digital careers fair – £15,000
• The Brilliant Club: PhD students promoted
the value of a higher education, and
delivered tutorials for school pupils to help
build their skills, knowledge and confidence.
• Residential events, team-working activities
and social action projects delivered by the
National Citizen Service and the Duke of
Edinburgh award programme helped build
pupils’ life skills, including confidence,
problem solving and resilience.
26 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersKey ingredients for success “Working with all partners, West
Somerset College has been able to
• Having clear goals, with schools having develop a dynamic careers programme
planned their programmes systematically that has been able to engage learners
and using the Gatsby Benchmarks to by providing a wide variety of
assess progress. opportunities.
• Partners with different responsibilities This has included, (although not limited
working together to share skills and to), talent academies in partnership with
other resources. Hinkley Point C, mock interview days
with local businesses, work experience
• Tailor the careers education offer to suit the
for students across the country for our
specific rural needs of the area, the small
Year 10 and Year 12. These activities
numbers of schools and the particular age
have been developed working in close
groups, to avoid initiative fatigue.
partnership with CEC, EBP (Education
• Maintain a consistent, co-ordinated, Business Partnership), Next Steps South
and varied programme spanning a range West and has led to students gaining
of opportunities. employment or training opportunities as
a result of these experiences.
• Keep a careful balance of offers to ensure
schools maintain control of long-term vision These opportunities have led to
for CEIAG. students having greater aspirations for
themselves and having a direct impact
on their work effort and commitment at
school by giving them a tangible goal to
achieve.”
Gregg Mockridge, Head Teacher,
West Somerset College
27 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersDoncaster case study
Doncaster Careers Hub
The Doncaster Careers Hub is helping to
improve the quality of careers education,
What was the problem?
information, advice and guidance delivered by
• In the 2014 to 2015 academic year:
Doncaster schools and colleges to the benefit
of all the town’s young people in mainstream, – 8% of the area’s young people were not
special, and Alternative Provision (AP) settings. in sustained employment, training, or
education in the first six months following
This has been achieved by bringing Careers the end of Key Stage 4. This increased to
Leaders together to share best practice and by 15% for disadvantaged young people.
providing access to funding to raise standards.
– Of 995 disadvantaged young people,
It builds on support provided by the Careers
150 of them did not find an option which
and Enterprise Company (CEC), that includes
they continued with during the first six
an additional member of staff to help schools
months of post-16 education or training.
develop their careers strategies and practices
and link them with volunteers from business, – At age 19, a similar picture existed,
as well as access to a range of activities to where 15% of disadvantaged
engage with employers. young people in the Key Stage
5 cohort did not reach a
sustained destination.
29 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: Careers• We consulted with young people who told The Hub brings together Careers Leaders,
us they wanted to see improved access employers, universities, and Careers Guidance
to careers advice and have a better Experts to develop and share best practice
understanding of the opportunities available across Doncaster. A dedicated Careers Hub
in Doncaster and beyond. lead brings additional capacity, liaising with
head teachers and taking a holistic view to
ensure the Hub’s activity is aligned with wider
Implementation activities local initiatives.
and successes
The CEC has also provided an additional
The programme started by engaging with local member of staff to support schools in
and national stakeholders to consider what developing their careers strategies and
interventions to employ, taking into account practices. The CEC links schools to dedicated
existing CEC and Doncaster Council provision, volunteers from the world of business, and it
as well as considering plans for sustainability funds activity designed to give young people
beyond the OA programme. meaningful encounters with employers through
tours of businesses, mock interviews and
The Doncaster Careers Hub is informed employability skills sessions delivered by local
by the CEC model, which has been rolled employers, which have been shown to have a
out across the country. Inspiration has also positive impact on their future destinations.5
been taken from work in two other projects:
North East Ambition (supporting schools
to adopt and achieve the Good Career
Guidance benchmarks), and a project run
by the Greater London Authority to drive up
standards in careers education.
5 Research by Education and Employers has shown young people who have experienced four or more
meaningful encounters with the world of work are 25% less likely to become NEET.
30 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersDoncaster OA involved every school and Steering groups were also established,
college, including APs and special schools. enabling Careers Leaders to decide how
The Hub team reviewed performance against to invest Hub funds to meet identified needs.
the Gatsby Benchmarks to identify where This puts the decision-making in the hands
Doncaster schools needed to improve. The of schools, ensuring engagement and
team worked with Careers Leaders to find encouraging schools to take ownership of
solutions and commission innovative resources all aspects of their continuous improvement.
to bring careers to life for younger pupils, for
example by funding access to Steam School,
which is a virtual academy for future inventors Project costs
and tech entrepreneurs aged nine to 14.
It brings international science, technology, • £100,000 plus £5,000 per school
engineering and mathematics role models (28 schools) for the first year:
into schools.
– £50,000 Careers Hub Lead salary.
Ongoing performance monitoring identified – £50,000 resources to help schools
a gap in provision for pupils in special and meet the Gatsby Benchmarks, including
AP schools, so a separate Special Educational Steam School.
Needs and Disability (SEND) Hub was created,
with SEND and AP Careers Leaders providing • The Doncaster Careers Hub has now
bespoke support, guidance and opportunities. become a CEC-funded Hub, thanks to a
successful joint Sheffield City Region bid
Schools were encouraged to share best that brings around £80,000 per year into
practice across the network, and a mainstream Doncaster. This funds a Hub Lead and a
and a SEND lead school were identified to Central Hub Fund of £1,000 per school.
share their knowledge and learning with An OA contribution increased funding from
Careers Leader colleagues. £1,000 to £5,000 per school.
31 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersMonitoring
We have seen a significant increase in performance of the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Some highlights in terms of progress include:
Gatsby Benchmarks: Doncaster
4 The reception by schools has also been
positive, with one head teacher describing the
2017 14 programme as “the best and most impactful
% 36 thing the OA has done”.
39
Key ingredients for success
2020 61 • Finding a blueprint that has worked
% 79 elsewhere makes a big difference,
and it is also important to shape that
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 to local circumstances.
Stable careers programme • The blend of national and local partners
Learning from career and market information has enabled us to benefit from best
Encounters with employers and employees practice from across the country and
adapt it to local circumstances.
• The development of support networks
When the programme was expanded to
is hugely impactful. Teachers especially
include all schools in November 2018, each
welcome support from their peers.
school met two benchmarks on average. This
had increased to 4.2 benchmarks on average
(+2.2 benchmarks) by July 2020, which
exceeds the performance of Hubs on average
(+1.8 benchmarks) over the same period.
32 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersFurther information
The Careers and Enterprise Company Careers guidance and tools
plays a vital role increasing young people’s
exposure to the world of work, by CEC education tools
supporting schools and colleges to
www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/
achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks.
education/tools
The National Careers Service continues
CEC – The Gatsby Benchmarks Toolkit for
to offer in-depth information, advice and
Schools
guidance for everyone aged 13 years and
over by telephone, web chat or the National www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/
Careers Service website. The telephone and sites/default/files/uploaded/gatsby_
webchat services are delivered by careers benchmark_toolkit.pdf
advisers based in the local community.
Gatsby Benchmarks career guidance
www.goodcareerguidance.org.uk/
Gatsby education homepage
www.gatsby.org.uk/education
34 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersOpportunity Areas
Opportunity Areas selection methodology Transparency data: Education statistics by
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/ local authority district and pupil disadvantage
system/uploads/attachment_data/ www.gov.uk/government/publications/
file/650036/Opportunity_areas_selection_ education-statistics-by-la-district-and-
methodology.pdf pupil-disadvantage
Social mobility and Opportunity Areas: Blackpool Opportunity Area:
Delivery plans for the 12 Opportunity Areas Blackpool Careers Journey
www.gov.uk/government/publications/ https://blackpoolopportunityarea.co.uk/
social-mobility-and-opportunity-areas careers-hub/
An independent process evaluation of the Doncaster Opportunity Area:
set‑up phase of the programme Careers and post-16
www.gov.uk/government/publications/ https://doncasteropportunityarea.co.uk/
opportunity-area-programme-research- careers-and-post-16/
and-analysis
Norwich Opportunity Area:
Supporting Young People Into Work
https://norwichopportunityarea.co.uk/
collaboration/
West Somerset Opportunity Area:
Workplace Skills
https://westsomersetopportunityarea.
co.uk/priority-4/
35 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersResearch
CEC research homepage GOV.UK, Official Statistics, Destinations:
www.careersandenterprise.co. key stage 4 and 5 pupils: 2019
uk/research www.gov.uk/government/statistics/
destinations-key-stage-4-and-5-
DfE (2021), Skills for Jobs: pupils-2019
Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/
government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/957856/Skills_for_
jobs_lifelong_learning_for_opportunity_
and_growth__web_version_.pdf
Education Endowment Foundation (2016),
Careers Education International
Literature Review
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
36 Opportunity Areas Insight Guide: CareersPublished: May 2021
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