Career VOOC Pilot Study Report Building engaging and interactive careers guidance
Contents: Executive Summary Key findings Introduction Career VOOC Overview Pilot Process Results of Pilot Areas for improvement About Virtual College With over 1.4 million online learners, Virtual College is one of the leading providers of e- learning in the UK. For nearly twenty years, we have provided online courses to individuals and companies across the world, breaking down the boundaries of traditional learning to deliver cost reducing, time efficient training. Conclusions Executive Summary The Department of Education statutory guidance Careers guidance and inspiration in schools, published in April 2014, places a duty on schools in England to secure independent careers guidance for year 8-13 pupils, that will inspire and motivate young people to fulfil their potential. It states that schools must ensure any careers guidance provided: Is presented in an impartial manner Includes information on the range of education or training options, including apprenticeships and other vocational pathways Is guidance that the person giving it considers will promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given In response, Virtual College, with nearly 20 years experience of driving innovation in education technology, began the development of a novel approach to careers guidance. Career VOOCs are designed to allow career seekers to explore options in an interactive and engaging manner. Career VOOCs offer: The ability to address skills gaps An insight into what different job roles entail The ability to test the water
The ability to raise awareness of what is possible The future possibility of linking to job vacancies and employers In October 2014, Virtual College ran qualitative assessments in five schools. The focus groups included pupils from a wide range of year groups, career guidance practitioners and school careers guidance leads. The results from the assessments will be used to ensure the final Career VOOC will be of maximum benefit to both pupils and schools. The feedback from all groups questioned was extremely positive, with 98% of pupils indicating they would or were likely to use Career VOOCs when considering their career options. In addition all five schools involved with the pilot indicated a desire to continue involvement with the development and implementation of Career VOOCs Key Findings Young People Enjoyed the marriage of high quality careers guidance and interactivity Information being presented clearly for all abilities was key for engagement The language and tone of advice should be simple, straightforward and authoritative but with an element of fun Young people expect information to be responsive and delivered on multiple screens and platforms Head Teachers & Careers Advisors Lack of resources hampers efforts to provide children with effective and comprehensive guidance Careers guidance is currently a low priority in many schools as the focus is on education attainment and Ofsted requirements Careers guidance tools and support MUST be independent In most instances that a blended approach to careers advice works the best Were impressed by the design, navigation and accessibility of the Career VOOC Whilst they thought the pilot Career VOOC was impressive there was room for improvement in the range of post 16 options available to students The focus on using technology to improve the effectiveness of careers guidance was recommended A need for advanced reporting was identified - to track how guidance turns into career outcomes and how the school can track and monitor what happens to students post school
Introduction There is wide acceptance by the Department of Education, MPs, Ofsted and schools that careers guidance in England is in need of revitalising and that the increasingly rapid adoption of new technology to enhance the traditional approach to learning can help to both reduce costs and to increase quality and consistency. and training decisions for individuals throughout their entire education and working lives. However, there is concern that whilst websites are a valuable source of information about careers for young people, they should not replace face-toface guidance, nor should they be considered sufficient in themselves to fulfil the requirement on schools to provide independent, impartial guidance. In September 2014, Virtual College made a submission to the House of Commons Education Select Committee on the subject of careers advice. In the submission we indicated that we agreed with the government that online tools can offer imaginative and engaging ways to encourage young people to think about the opportunities available to them. In addition, we also agree with the Education Select Committee that the signposting of independent websites is insufficient for schools to meet their statutory duty. That is why Virtual College designed Career VOOCs with a pedagogic methodology that provides guidance not just unfiltered information. We believe this approach constitutes high quality careers guidance, which can support career professionals and contribute to careers
Career VOOC Overview The first series of VOOCs to be produced by Virtual College aim to bring careers advice into the 21st Century, giving school pupils and job seekers the opportunity to explore career options in an interactive and engaging manner. Seven Career VOOCs, each focusing on a specific sector, will be launched by Virtual College throughout the 2014-15 academic year. Subjects to be developed are: Health and Social Care, Child Care, Active Leisure, Accountancy, Arts and Media, Construction, Engineering, Hospitality, Hairdressing, IT, Manufacturing and Retail. Each Career VOOC will provide users with a free, comprehensive, unbiased insight into working in a particular sector through an exciting virtual environment, providing information on the sector as a whole; Example job roles - including average salary, a day in the life and insight from real people working in that role Skills - what skills are needed, how to develop these skills and signposts to local and national providers Careers progression routes and qualifications Job vacancies in the local area and Next steps Structure of Pilot
Aims and Objectives The overall aim of this pilot was to test the early VOOC prototype and concept with a small group of schools in particular with head teachers, careers guidance teachers and pupils. Specifically, our objectives were to: Pilot the Career VOOC with learners and seek feedback on the learner journey, the learning experience and identify ideas for development and improvement Pilot the Career VOOC concept with head teachers to better understand their drivers around careers guidance, the challenges they face and the outcomes and reporting they will need Pilot the Career VOOC concept with careers guidance teachers to better understand how they would use the VOOC tool in delivering careers guidance, what they would need from the tool and what we need to do to make it an invaluable careers resource Use the evaluation feedback to further develop the product and get it ready for market Gauge interest in fully piloting and using the Career VOOC as a fundamental part of careers guidance within the school environment Pilot Process Overview We set up individual visits to five schools (2 x VC members of staff). The visits lasted approximately 2 hours. We were given time with the head teacher and the careers advice teacher and up to 20 pupils interested in a potential career in childcare. Head Teacher/ Key decision maker Interviews We set up a structured interview with each head teacher /key decision maker to explore the following key areas Current challenges for the school in delivering careers advice (budget, resource, time, targets, quality etc) How the school currently delivers careers advice what works well about the approach and what works less well Thoughts on what the optimum careers advice solution would look like key features What sort of reporting requirements the school has in relation to careers guidance and what reporting information would be useful / helpful to inform their on-going approach A demonstration of a prototype career VOOC (childcare) immediate feedback (look and feel, learner journey, content, how could
it be used in the school, areas for improvement and development) What would we need to offer / produce to make the school really want to use Career VOOCs as part of their careers guidance approach Thoughts on whether the school would use this resource to support their careers guidance approach Pupils (up to 20 pupils, age 11-16) We facilitated a session at each school with up to 20 pupils, in conjunction with the careers guidance teacher. This consisted of: Brief introduction to the pilot Brief introduction to the Career VOOC Practical session where pupils logged on to the Career VOOC and explored the Childcare VOOC. Each pupil was given a feedback sheet where they could write down words or comments as they progressed through the website and the VOOC We facilitated collective feedback at the end of the session to get learner feedback on the experience This focused on: o The VOOC journey o Content and information o Look and feel o What worked well / less well about the experience o Propensity to use as part of the career decision making process Careers Guidance Teacher/Officer The careers guidance teacher took part in the session with pupils (see above). After the session, we facilitated a one to one discussion with the careers guidance teacher to explore their thoughts on the session and how it worked. Specifically we explored: o Feedback on the VOOC o Feedback on the session o Learner feedback o How they could use the resource to support careers guidance activities in the school o What else they would need to support using the resource what other practical support o What would prevent them from using it o What reporting they may need
Results of Pilot Young People Would you use Career VOOCs as part of considering your career options and choices? Would you recommend Career VOOCs to your friends? YES Maybe DNA Yes DNA If yes, what device would you use? Would you access Career VOOCs out of school? 21 20 19 18 Yes No Maybe
Creative, colourful, engaging, can listen rather than read. Gives information without just throwing facts at you. Easy to understand, Clear instructions. Good as it s easy to find things and the speaking helps. Which sectors are you interested in working in? What motivates your attraction towards these sectors?
Head Teachers and Careers Advisors Welcome anything that would make careers guidance provision to the students more cost effective as long as it was also effective in improving careers guidance. It has to be independent; difficult because this has to be found and paid for. There should be a strong connectivity between what happens in school and when the students leave. Parents could and should be encouraged to use it and most would embrace it.
Areas for Improvement A site map to help learners navigate more effectively. Lighten tone of narration and increase variety of clips Add challenges and quizzes to measure information comprehension Introduction of fun facts to lighten the mood The pupils have provided a number of ideas for extra information they would be interested in e.g. dress codes for individual jobs Video interviews with, people employed in the industry sectors Conclusions The pilot study demonstrated that there is a clear demand from both schools and their pupils for high quality, independent careers guidance that makes the most of recent developments in education technology. However, it would be a mistake to assume that simply pointing young people in the general direction of chunks of raw careers information is the answer. A blended approach to careers guidance, with an online but guided element leading into a subsequently more focused face to face element, allows schools to make the most of their limited budgets whilst improving the quality of the guidance they receive. This pilot has shown us that there is a place in the careers guidance landscape for Career VOOCs. This unique guided approach with in depth career sector information combined with a modern, responsive design, available anywhere, on any screen, addresses many of the challenges posed by delivering modern careers guidance today. Schools are struggling to find the funds to deliver the kind of careers guidance programmes they aspire to and would welcome a high quality affordable or free tool that allowed them to maximise the limited amounts of face to face careers guidance they can afford. Young people are used to accessing information when they want it and on any device. Why should careers guidance be any different? Modern careers guidance needs to be delivered in ways that young people have come to regard as the norm.
Next Steps As a result of this pilot, Virtual College will be using the feedback to inform the development of the VOOC prototype and the development schedule of the next 10 Career VOOCs. The suite of Career VOOCs will be launched to schools in 2015. Getting Involved If you want to find out more or get involved in the development of Career VOOCs. Parents, schools, career guidance officers, recruiters, employers, education providers and charities, please contact elaine.hankinson@virtual-college.co.uk 01943 605976 Awarding organisations or potential VOOC sponsors, please contact hannah.brindle@virtual-college.co.uk 01943 605976 For marketing enquires please contact peter.hilliard@virtual-college.co.uk 01943 605976 Thank You to Pilot Participants Virtual College would like to say a huge thank you to the schools and staff that participated in the pilot including. Mount St Mary's Catholic High School Corpus Christi Catholic College West Craven High Technology College Holy Family Catholic School Beckfoot School