Schools need a brilliantly executed careers strategy to inspire students and give them hope about their futures

There is no doubt that students who are about to leave school this year, will do so after enduring unprecedented disruption to their learning. They also now face rising living costs, and many can lack confidence in the opportunities that lie ahead of them, which makes choosing their next step in education or work even harder.

The latest employment figures from the Office of National Statistics for December 2021 to February 2022 show that the current jobs market is strong. The employment rate is estimated to be 75.5% which is 1.1 percentage points lower than before the coronavirus pandemic. The unemployment rate is estimated to be 3.8%, which is 0.1 percentage points below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. The number of job vacancies in January to March 2022 also rose to a new record of 1,288,000; an increase of 492,400 from the pre-pandemic level.

A strong jobs market is only one part of the picture, because we also know that many businesses are facing dire skills shortages and are struggling to find talented and skilled people to fill roles. You only have to look at the government’s skills shortage occupations list to see the breadth of jobs that are in demand. These include roles in IT and cyber security, healthcare and care, as well as professions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  To help fill some of the skills shortages that threaten to damage the UK, students need to be made aware of the opportunities on offer and the route they need to take to forge successful careers.  Although these roles can require further qualifications, there may also be apprenticeship opportunities or other entry roles that can provide real experience within an organisation.

Deciding on a career path to follow can be difficult at the best of the times but following the disruption of the pandemic, that decision has been made even harder. Students must choose between entering the world of work at 18, at a time when the cost of living is so high and wages are failing to keep pace with prices, or continue on to university which can be seen to be an expensive route to a career.

To help students make well-informed decisions, schools need a coherent, engaging and consistent careers strategy. However, often the responsibility for developing and leading a school’s careers strategy is given to teachers who don’t have the extra time that is now needed to dedicate to it. And when the world of work, and the skills that are needed within it, are changing so rapidly it can be difficult for schools to keep up.

Helping you to deliver, implement and evaluate a successful careers strategy

At Entrust we provide the tools and support your school needs to develop a better careers strategy that inspire pupils.

Gain external validation with the Quality in Careers Standard

The Quality in Careers Standard (QiCS) is the nationally recognised careers quality award for education providers. It can help your school to demonstrate the impact your careers provision is having for students, parents, staff and Ofsted. We are one of only seven  QiCS licensed awarding bodies and our experienced assessors can support your school to develop and enhance your careers provision.

Evidence the outcomes of your work experience with our pupil diaries

It’s great to see work experience placements coming back after the pandemic because they provide a fantastic opportunity for students to build their confidence and skills while investigating future career options. Our online pupil work experience diaries help pupils to keep a record of their placement and reflect on the skills they have learned with their employer. Pupils can also receive feedback from their tutor, and the diaries help schools keep a record of how they are meeting the Gatsby benchmarks.

Provide your pupils with impartial careers guidance

We know that when pupils don’t have access to impartial careers advice they can often rely on family and friends and risk making ill-informed decisions. That’s why it’s crucial to have an effective strategy in place. But, you don’t have to develop it on your own, we’ll work in partnership with you to create better outcomes for your students.Our careers advisors have real industry experience and will help you to implement a careers strategy that gives pupils an insight into careers and helps them to focus on their personal objectives.

Implement and evaluate your careers strategy with The CareerSpace

Our CareerSpace online career management tool supports post 16 and 18 transition and gives you the resources you need to develop and share an effective and inspiring careers strategy, in line with the eight Gatsby Benchmarks. With CareerSpace you can create and share individual careers records and easily review learner’s progress, review their action plans, and monitor interventions.

Let’s create better career outcomes

The UK jobs market may be strong, but there is still plenty of uncertainty for pupils to work through. Talk to us today, to see how we can work in partnership with your school to develop a careers strategy that inspires and open minds.