Careers Information Advice & Guidance (CEIAG) Policy
Last Updated: (September 2021)
Policy Statement
BOCK Training value learning and are committed to providing prospective, current and past students with Information, Advice and Guidance to support their choices in relation to learning programmes and careers. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that students can make choices which are appropriate to their abilities and interests, to enable them ultimately improve and sustain personal and employability development. Impartial IAG is provided before enrolment, throughout learning programme and after completion of learning programmes.
This Policy has been drafted in accordance with the ‘Good Careers Guidance‐ Reaching the Gatsby Standards’ and DfE guidance: ‘Careers Guidance – Guidance for further education and sixth form colleges (July 2021).
Context
BOCK recognises the importance of students being enrolled on the right course which suits their interest in order to successfully achieve their chosen qualification. We ensure that our recruitment process and initial assessment is robust to ensure that learners are enrolled on learning programmes at the appropriate level for their ability. BOCK provide free and impartial Information, Advice and Guidance to all prospective, current and past students.
All students have the opportunity to access:
-Impartial and top-quality careers information service provided by appropriately qualified and trained staff which continuously improves the quality of students’ experience.
-A confidential and easy to access IAG service which can be accessed in person or remotely.
-A service that challenges stereotypes and is responsive to diversity, equality of opportunity.
-A service which sparks optimism, develops self-confidence and self-sufficiency.
-An integrated service which is imbedded within learning support, tutorials and the wider curriculum.
-A service which meets the students’ needs and the needs of the local community.
Aim & Objective
To support our students to achieve, progress and develop key employability skills required through access to high quality IAG and high-quality learning opportunities.
– Encourage and increase student participation in learning through the provision of timely and high quality IAG services.
– To promote self‐development through guided self‐assessment of strengths, limitations, aspirations, values and needs.
-To encourage the use of resources to explore, research and evaluate opportunities in apprenticeships and other employment, higher education, further education and training schemes, gap year activities, internships, work experience and volunteering.
-To support students to develop employability skills needed to respond to the current and future work climate with ever changing opportunities.
-To make students and potential students aware of their entitlement to accurate, impartial, accessible IAG, to be available at all stages of their progression, from enrolment through to completion of their courses and for a period of time after leaving the College.
– To ensure that student enquiries are responded to and that resources and appointments can be easily accessible.
-Provide students with written feedback on CV’s, UCAS applications and personal statements within 5 working days.
-Understand and evaluate the opinions of students through surveys to improve the quality of the IAG services we provide.
-To ensure that IAG is delivered by trained, knowledgeable and experienced staff
-To ensure that all staff are able to offer appropriate information and advice to students and other college staff
-To ensure that careers information and advice is available to individual students within 5 working days of an enquiry
-To develop, on behalf of students, effective working relationships with other relevant stakeholders, including: HE institutions, other local colleges, training providers and employers.
-To create various methods for the delivery of information so students are well informed about the support offered by the College eg. website, VLE platform. All information in printed or web format are accurate and updated regularly.
-To inform students of all forthcoming events and activities relating to the students’ progression journey e.g., UCAS application processes, student finance, apprenticeship/employment and HE fairs etc.
-To seek students’ feedback on relevant activities and events and to consider these responses carefully in the development of future provision.
-Embed employer engagement within the curriculum so that students learn from them about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace
-To keep the college board informed of the work in careers and employability to create opportunities for them to influence the work of these teams.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Senior Leadership Team will be responsible for:
– Appointment of a BOCK Careers Lead‐ Student support, Admissions and Marketing Lead who are qualified and experienced in delivering the service.
-Ensuring that all staff are aware of the college’s IAG Policy, strategy and implementation of the college’s careers service.
-Ensuring that there are accurate and up-to-date resources available to deliver the service and sufficient, qualified and experienced staff and up‐to‐date resources for delivery of the service.
-To take on board recommendations from the Careers Lead
-Appointing a member within the board to work with the Careers Lead on evaluation and development of the careers programme and provision.
The Careers Lead is responsible for:
-Developing and delivering a high quality, careers programme which meets the expectations of the latest government guidance and the ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’.
-Ensuring ongoing development of this programme through implementation of strategy.
-Ensuring that the Careers policy and strategy document is published on the College’s website.
-Working with Curriculum Development Manager to ensure that progression and destination information for all students is recorded and information used to improve the delivery and effectiveness of the careers service
-Developing working relationships with external partners/stakeholders, such as employers, HE Institutions, other learning & training providers, support networks, engagement agencies etc. to support delivery and enhancement of the careers service
-Working with curriculum managers and teaching staff to embed careers education into the delivery of learning programmes.
Resources
– The College will ensure that advice and guidance are informed by up‐to‐date labour market information for, for example, local and regional employment trends, job vacancies, graduate employment trends, apprenticeship developments (at all levels), HE course vacancies etc.
-Ensure that comprehensive, up‐to‐date online and hard copy resources are available to students through college sites and VLE platform.
-Ensure that student-facing staff have access to relevant resources in order to support IAG delivery.
-To ensure that regular opportunities exist (including by self‐referral) for individual careers guidance and action planning with subject teachers, tutors, careers teachers and the College’s careers and employability teams where appropriate
Review & Evaluation
-To conduct surveys and gather feedback from students to inform and improve service delivery.
-To undertake an annual self‐assessment review (SAR), which will inform the Quality Improvement Plan
-Maintain the Matrix Quality Standard for information advice and guidance services in 2022
-The Careers Lead will review this Policy on an annual basis, following evaluation of the service and monitoring of the students’ destination data.
Review Date: September 2022