It may have escaped your notice but a few days ago John Hayes, Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning announced the formation of an all-age Information, Advice and Guidance Service. This will be the first all-age guidance service in England yet I can remember calling for such a service as long ago as the 1980s.
In fact, as an education officer working in the north of the country, I was responsible for the careers service and we established an, admittedly grossly underfunded, adult guidance service alongside our statutory service to young people.
The reasons we did that then are still relevant today. As the Minister says, "The right guidance at the right time not only helps young people and adults to progress in learning, but also increases their confidence and motivation to succeed." Put like that who could argue that an all-age guidance service makes sense especially when put into the context of lifelong learning.
So why isn't everyone happy with the announcement? Perhaps it is because we have waited so long and, given the cutbacks in public service funding, there is a worry that hopes will be dashed by a lack of adequate funding. Such scepticism is easy to understand - some Connexions services are already facing severe cuts to their funding.
There are other concerns. The service will rightly be founded on the core principles of independence and professionalism.Schools will be under a legal duty to secure independent, impartial careers guidance for their students but will be free to decide how best to support young people to make good career decisions. I have personal experience of the narrow mindedness of some head teachers when it comes to careers guidance. I once suffered the indignity of being banned from doing my job as a careers adviser in a high school because I had the audacity to advise a student who wanted to become a nurse to consider applying for a pre-nursing course at the local FE college rather than take A levels. The head teacher made it very clear that he saw me as a threat to his aim of building his sixth-form.I did eventually win the right to offer impartial advice in the school but not without a fight. Schools and those who teach in them have agendas that do not always coincide with the best interests of their students.
Many schools are under pressure managing their own budgets. Will they be tempted to go for the cheapest guidance option? Stringent quality assurance measures need to be in place to ensure that the all-important independence and professionalism that the Minister calls for is upheld.
The prospect of a well resourced and quality all-age guidance service is exciting and long overdue. The Minister should be congratulated for the stance he has taken. It is no coincidence that he is the Minister for Lifelong Learning: effective guidance provision is at the heart of ensuring that adults can continue to learn, develop and fulfil their potential in a constantly changing world. Individual learners and workers desperately need access to IAG. Employers also stand to benefit hugely from better advised candidates and workers.
