Informed Choice: How Data And Tools Are Used To Make .
Informed Choice:how data and toolsare used to makecareer decisionsResearch reportDecember 2017CooperGibson Research
ContentsList of figures5List of tables6Executive summary71.Introduction141.1 Research aims151.2 Research objectives151.3 Reading this report152. Methodology162.1 Desk review162.2 Qualitative fieldwork162.2.1 Sample172.3 Parent survey192.3.1 Sample breakdown: parent survey192.4 Parent interviews192.5 Challenges and limitations202.5.1 Timing for the research202.5.2 Accessing parents203. Engagement with careers provision213.1 Approaches to careers engagement: primary education3.1.1 Delivery approaches21213.2 Approaches to careers engagement: secondary and tertiary education3.2.1 Delivery approaches22223.3 Parents’ role in careers engagement263.3.1 Focus of career discussions263.3.2 Role of parents/carers in decision-making284. Careers information and tools304.1 Careers tools in use304.2 Use of careers tools in primary schools304.2.1 Primary learner perspectives322
4.3 Use of careers tools in secondary and tertiary education334.4 Differentiating use of tools by different groups344.4.1 Learners’ awareness and use of tools354.4.2 Parents’ awareness and use of tools374.4.3 Provider awareness and use of careers tools404.5 Differentiating use of tools for learners and decision stages404.6 Engaging hard-to-reach learners464.7 Provider perspectives on tools474.8 Supporting engagement with tools and data485. Destination data515.1 Collection of destination data515.1.1 Secondary schools515.1.2 Colleges525.2 Strategic use of destination data525.2.1 Secondary schools535.2.2 Colleges535.3 Introducing destination data to learners545.3.1 Primary schools555.3.2 Secondary schools555.3.3 Colleges565.4 Learner perspectives on destination data585.5 Parent perspectives on destination data595.5.1 Accessing destinations data595.5.2 Use of destinations data606. Labour Market Information626.1 Strategic use of labour market information (LMI)626.2 Introducing labour market information (LMI) to learners636.2.1 Primary schools636.2.2 Secondary schools646.2.3 Colleges656.3 Learner perspectives on LMI663
6.4 Parent perspectives on LMI686.4.1 Accessing Labour Market Information686.4.2 Using Labour Market Information697. Challenges to using career tools and data727.1. Challenges to engaging with careers information and tools727.2 Challenges in the use of destination data757.2.1 Future potential for destination data777.3 Challenges in the use of Labour Market Information (LMI)7.3.1 Future potential for Labour Market Information7.4 Improving careers information, tools and data7879807.4.1 Increasing learner engagement with careers807.4.2 Increasing engagement with careers information, data and tools828. Summary and concluding comments848.1 Use of careers tools and information848.2 Destination data858.3 Labour market information (LMI)86Appendix 1: Literature review88Appendix 2: Examples of tools used98Appendix 3: Topic guides and parent survey100Bibliography1284
List of figuresFigure 1: Parents’ attitudes towards careers education and guidance (secondary andcollege)28Figure 2: Information sources used by parents38Figure 3: Function of careers tools used by parents39Figure 4: Source of destinations data60Figure 5: Type of Labour Market Information used by parents69Figure 6: Parents’ reasons for using Labour Market Information705
List of tablesTable 1: Overall sample by institution type18Table 2: Sample by type of institution and participant type18Table 3: Sample breakdown - parent survey19Table 4: Focus of career discussions between parents and learners27Table 5: Description of common tools used41Table 6: Examples of careers-related tools used by schools and colleges986
Executive summaryThe Department for Education’s Post-16 Skills Plan 1 and wider strategy for careers aimsto support learners, from all backgrounds, and those who advise them – from primaryschool through to adulthood – to enable them to make effective decisions about the nextsteps in their education, as well as future careers.Concerns were raised by the Education, Skills and the Economy Sub-Committee’sinquiry into careers advice, information and guidance (2016), about the number ofcareers information websites available and the ease of navigation of such websites.Furthermore, the Moments of Choice report (Careers and Enterprise Company, 2016)found that the range of information available is fragmented, diverse and lackspersonalisation, leading young people to feel overloaded and disengaged.This research aimed to explore the current use of careers information, data, sources andtools by learners, parents and carers, teachers and careers guidance professionals inmaking informed choices. It was commissioned by the Department for Education tounderstand how best to support and target information provision to ensure everyone hassufficient access.The scope of this research was learners from primary school up to post-16 education (upto 19 years), their parents/carers and the people who advise them. This includes nextsteps in education as well as future careers and professions.MethodologyThe research was conducted as an exploratory piece of work that aimed to understandthe use of careers information data and tools. It was not designed as a scoping exerciseor audit of careers information data or tools and feedback on the tools used is based onthe recall and perceptions of the key audiences.The research utilised a qualitative approach, including a brief literature review and visitsto 22 institutions to speak to a wide range of stakeholders.Fieldwork was undertaken between May and July 2017 and involved four primaryschools, six secondary schools without sixth forms, five secondary schools with caleducation17
forms, one all-through school and six general further education (FE) colleges. Theinterviews and focus groups gathered feedback from 15 senior leaders, 34 teachers,tutors and support staff, 37 internal careers and careers-related professionals, 12 careersprofessionals externally contracted, 23 parents and 183 learners. In addition, an onlinesurvey of parents was administered via the 22 case study institutions, receiving 289responses. Although numbers from this are quoted through the report, the sample is notrepresentative. Fifty-one learners were also observed during careers advice andguidance sessions.Key findingsEngagement with careers provisionPrimary schoolsThe focus of careers education in primary schools was on increasing learners’ knowledgeand raising aspirations. Delivery of careers education was incorporated into Personal,Social, Citizenship and Health Education (PSCHE) schemes of work and more broadlyacross learning in an informal way. It was common for primary schools to invite people infrom different job roles into school to speak about their careers. Teaching staff also hadongoing informal discussions with learners about jobs/careers as they arose whencovering certain curriculum topics.Secondary schools and collegesMost secondary schools and colleges embedded careers into the wider curriculum. Theygenerally had dedicated careers areas and careers staff or staff with some proportion oftheir role with responsibility for careers provision. Learners in secondary schools andcolleges were encouraged to engage with careers information in a range of waysincluding enterprise challenges, mock employment activities, work experience, researchprojects and visits from employers and careers advisors.Careers information and toolsPrimary schoolsPrimary schools focused on increasing learners’ knowledge of jobs and careers through‘real person’ experiences, or specialist programmes, therefore primary age learnerslearnt about jobs and careers from a range of sources, rather than through the use of‘tools’ in the more traditional sense.8
Secondary schools and collegesIn contrast, secondary schools and colleges used a range of careers tools andinformation with learners, across age-groups and at critical decision-points makingdecisions based on the needs of their learners whilst considering age, stage of decisionmaking and pathway. Tools were mainly used in partnership with careers staff (e.g.though group sessions or one-to-one discussions), rather than learners accessing themindependently in their own time, although this was encouraged by secondary schools andcolleges.The range of tools used varied, although there were some secondary schools andcolleges that were using the same mix. Tools were used across a wide age range, butdifferent functions were utilised at different stages. Secondary schools were less likely tohave invested in more than one paid tool, due to budget constraints, although foursecondary schools had invested in two paid tools. There was more variability amongstcolleges as to whether they had paid for tools - most had paid for one or more tools,although two colleges had no paid-for tools.Using tools that effectively interested and engaged learners was a major considerationand a challenge for some institutions. Cost was important and achieving value for moneyand maximising use when investing in commercial tools was critical. Institutions valuedtools that were accessible, user-friendly, held a wide range of information and hadcontent that maintained learner interest.LearnersLearners in secondary schools mentioned a range of sources of information aboutcareers. Discussions with family about careers remained important, but there was morefocus on formal careers advice, information and use of tools as they progressed throughschool. However, awareness and recall of career tools was mixed.College learners’ use of tools depended on the pathway they were considering. Thoseconsidering a university pathway were more likely to use higher-education specific tools.Learners exploring alternative routes or were still unsure were more likely to use toolsthat were wider in their focus.Usability and accessibility was important for learners when using tools. Learners werefrustrated when tools were not intuitive, difficult to navigate or generated results that wereirrelevant to their existing interests or thoughts about careers choices and pathways.Careers staff emphasised the importance of not overloading learners with information.9
Trust was also important; secondary learners were wary of using tools that asked them toregister or sign-up to use them.ParentsParents lacked knowledge about key careers websites and their approach to informationseeking was ad-hoc and often reliant on the results of internet searches. Most parents ofprimary aged and younger secondary children thought accessing information online wasunnecessary. Others had concerns about being able to source age-appropriateinformation, and overwhelming younger children with information.Parents with older secondary children (Year 9 upwards) were more proactively seekinginformation to support their children with key decisions; particularly those that wereconsidering post-16 options and university. However, this was not evident across allparents. Nearly half (48%, n 128) of survey respondent parents, of secondary andcollege age young people, had not used any tools to help their children with theirdecision-making. Common sources of information used by parents included college anduniversity websites to find out about courses and qualifications. Attendance at schoolbased careers events or visits to colleges and universities was also cited.Challenges and future potentialRespondents did not see a need for additional tools and information, but thought thatimproved signposting, accessibility and relevance would increase take-up of theresources currently available.Encouraging learners to engage in the use of tools independently was an ongoingchallenge for secondary schools and colleges. All careers staff felt there was a need forface-to-face support for learners in using careers data and tools and that the majority oflearners are unlikely to use them in their own time. When left to use tools on their own,some learners become overwhelmed with the amount of information available andstruggle to interpret or navigate it. Those with special educational needs and/or disability(SEND) and disadvantaged learners in particular need tailored one-to-one support inusing and interpreting careers tools.Support was generally provided within allocated timetabled provision, often helping themto understand the purpose of use, navigating and interpreting information from the tool.Careers professionals also played a role in filtering information for learners, to ensurethey were mot missing out on important information within the tools. For some secondaryschools in deprived areas, using careers tools with younger year groups helped them to10
start to think about careers and pathways earlier, ensuring a strong focus on raisingaspirations.Schools and colleges faced challenges in engaging hard-to-reach and SEND learners inthe use of the tools, due to a lack of differentiation. They often had to adapt their use ofthe tools with these learners, by providing additional support in the interpretation andnavigation of tools. They would also select tools that were easier to navigate or read,more attractive and engaging and used shorter exercises or quizzes to maintain interestof those less engaged. However, there was a general consensus that more differentiationwithin existing tools for different abilities and proficiency in literacy would be beneficial.Destination dataSecondary schools and collegesBoth secondary schools and colleges are mandated to collect destination data.The use of destination data in careers education within secondary schools was ad-hocand unstructured, mainly occurring in informal discussions between individual learnersand careers professionals. Where it had been used this had been mainly to give learnersexamples of where previous students had progressed on to as a way of providinginspiration and raising aspirations. Secondary school careers staff felt it lackedsignificance in learners’ decision-making; a view reflected by learners and their parents.Secondary schools with sixth forms were more likely to use destination data to supporttheir strategic and curriculum planning post-16. It enabled them to understand the post16 pathways learners were commonly progressing to, which informed their curriculumoffer to ensure they were attracting and retaining learners. A small number of secondaryschools used destination data to compare their learner destinations to other local orsimilar schools.Colleges used destination data strategically and in careers delivery. They generally usedit in a more structured and proactive way with learners; either in career discussions withstaff or with learners being encouraged to independently access destination data forpathways/courses they were considering. Most colleges were also using destination datato inform their curriculum offer and to support learner retention.Learners and parentsLearners’ and parents’ knowledge of the term ‘destination data’ was minimal, althoughboth could recall seeing or accessing different types of destination data when prompted.Most secondary and college learners were able to discuss examples of destination data11
they had seen or been shown by careers professionals. Generally, secondary learnersexpressed greater interest in how previous cohorts had progressed (e.g. options takenand the types of support that they found helpful), rather than generic data on where andwhat they progressed to.However, there was limited evidence that most learners and parents were usingdestination data to inform decisions’ about education and career pathways although,those that had used it had found it to be useful. For example, all but three parentssurveyed who had used destination data at a key decision point felt that it was importantin helping their child decide their pathway. This indicates that destination data doesfeature in some parents’ decision-making, but this is more likely to be at critical decisionpoints.Challenges and future potentialImproving the tracking and sharing of learner destination data was a key request of bothsecondary schools and colleges. It was felt the collection of destination data could beimproved to support its value and usability. Suggestions included improving informationsharing between secondary schools and colleges; dealing with perceived inaccuracies inpost-16 destination data; improved tracking for apprenticeship pathways and improvedawareness of longer-term destination data on university graduates.The development of a central resource which collated the destinations of learnersthrough all education pathways, and provided longer-term data on learners’ destinationsbeyond education, was felt by careers professionals to be a useful tool for raisinglearners’ aspirations and assisting in strategic planning.Labour Market Information (LMI)Primary schoolsPrimary schools were mostly unfamiliar with the term LMI, but understood the conceptand could provide examples of how they used LMI in their teaching, for example, talkingabout job roles and the range of jobs in different sectors. Most believed that detailed LMIbeyond job roles was not relevant for this age group.Secondary schools and collegesSecondary schools’ use of LMI was ad-hoc and informal. There was little evidence thatcareers professionals were using detailed LMI in careers education; other than LMIcovered in the online tools they were using. Use of specific LMI websites was minimal12
with careers professionals instead relying on their own research to find appropriateinformation.Colleges’ use of LMI was more embedded within careers education and they were morelikely to have invested in specific LMI software or used existing LMI websites. Collegecareers staff placed higher value on its use, believing it was critical in allowing learners tomake informed decisions. There was evidence of it being used strategically in mostcolleges, informing course offer, curriculum design and employer engagement strategies.Presenting LMI in an accessible, simple way for learners was important according tosecondary and college staff. Careers staff, particularly at secondary level believed thatlearners needed guidance to access and interpret LMI in order to aid understanding.Learners and parentsParents and learners did not recognise the term LMI, but were very aware of differenttypes of LMI, even without knowing the term itself. LMI was of interest for learners andparents, particularly those in college. Learners were interested in the types of jobs theycould progress to and what was involved in different job roles, including responsibilitiesand pay scales.However, both parents and learners generally lacked knowledge about where to accessLMI, both finding it difficult to name specific websites or tools where they could find thisinformation. Some parents felt that LMI would be useful but would need signposting tothis information and felt that schools or colleges playing a role in promoting LMI sourceswould be useful.Challenges and future potentialA lack of accessible, central, relevant, local and up to date LMI was reported. Careersprofessionals mentioned accessing LMI through government (national and local) sourcesas they felt this could be trusted, although sometimes the available data could be two orthree years old. LMI for All was perceived to be a useful source of information by careersprofessionals; however, awareness amongst other audiences appeared limited.The main challenge for secondary schools was the accessibility of LMI information fortheir learners. Difficulties in knowing where to access LMI and the lack of userfriendliness of the information creates a challenge for careers professionals in being ableto use this information within careers education and guidance.13
1.IntroductionThe Depar
making informed choices. It was commissioned by the Department for Education to understand how best to support and target information provision to ensure everyone has sufficient access. The scope of this research was learners from primary school up to post-16 education (up to 19 years), their parents/carers and the people who advise them.
Running head: DOES CHOICE CAUSE AN ILLUSION OF CONTROL? 8 Koehler, Gibbs, & Hogarth, 1994; Langer, 1975; Nichols, Stich, Leslie, & Klein, 1996). In these studies, participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 x 2 design: Choice (Choice vs. No-choice) x Timing of Choice (Choice-first vs. Choice-last). Participants in the
UNITED HEALTHCARE INS. CO. SMALL GROUP 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 0-14 389.08 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 15 423.66 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 16 436.89 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 17 450.11 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 18 464.35 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 19 478.59 61021DE0060002 UHC Choice Gold 0 20 493.34
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