Frequently Asked Questions

Questions asked by newly appointed Careers Coordinators

A member of the Careers Education Development Team (CEDT) of CfBT Advice, Guidance and Connexions will be very pleased to help staff from schools, colleges and other institutions of education that fall within our catchment area.

What do Careers Coordinators do?

No two Careers Coordinators do exactly the same job; often it's a question of what you can make of the role within the organisation that you work.

To give you an idea of the potential of the job look at www.cegnet.co.uk

  1. under "professional development" for a sample job description
  2. under "managing CEG" and then "briefings" for a sample CEG policy document

What is CEG?

CEG means careers education and guidance. In March 2003 the DfES sent all schools a guidance document called "CEG in England, A National Framework 11-19". This provides an excellent guide to help you organise appropriate provision for CEG in your organisation and to see that there are strong links with PSHE and citizenship.

The framework comprises a framework of learning outcomes for a planned programme of careers education in the curriculum, plus advice on securing coherent guidance provision.

The aim is to raise achievement by helping individuals plan and manage their progression through learning into work.

There is a statutory duty on schools to provide a planned programme of careers education in the curriculum across years 9, 10 and 11. Please note that this will be extended to years 7 and 8 from, at the earliest, September 2004.

What resources are available to help you?

CEDT have careers education resources centres in Abingdon, Hounslow and Luton.

The centres have materials available for loan and reference. It's advisable to check these before developing your own careers education materials for use in the classroom.

A summary of Ofsted inspection requirements can be found on this website - click here for more information.

CEDT can help your school achieve a local quality award for CEG; it is called " Investors in Careers" - click here for more information.

A list of key publications that support the development of successful careers work (from DfES, QCA etc), and a short summary of their content and value, is available on this website. click here for more details.

Which three careers-related websites should I explore?

  1. www.cegnet.co.uk -a DfES sponsored site to support CEG
  2. www.dfes.gov.uk/progressfile -details about Progress File, the replacement for National Record of Achievement which is being phased out by June 2004
  3. http://www.nacgt.co.uk -National Association of Careers and Guidance Teachers

Who could I usefully begin to work closely with?

  1. Personal Adviser(s)
  2. Head of PSHE
  3. Citizenship Coordinator
  4. Link Governor for careers
  5. Connexions Coordinator

Which three initiatives could I usefully find out more about?

  1. Connexions (see www.connexions.gov.uk )
  2. Real Game (see www.realgame.com)
  3. Aim Higher (see www.dfes.gov.uk/aimhigher/)

What should I look for in school to help me establish what the current provision is and what opportunities there are for development?

  1. School careers education development plan
  2. School development/ improvement plan
  3. Partnership Agreement with CfBT Advice, Guidance and Connexions
  4. A portfolio of evidence (if the school has been awarded a local Quality Award for CEG)

What would you suggest I do next?

  1. Contact CEDT
  2. Join NACGT; excellent value at £40.00 per annum (see www.nacgt.co.uk)
  3. Apply for the ACT residential training course designed for newly appointed Careers Coordinators.