Can A Levels of the future prepare students for modern HE and careers?

Tom Genillard, Sociology and Criminology Subject Advisor, and Dr Louise Archer from UCL

Careers advice is mandatory in schools, colleges and skills providers, but is it serving the needs of our students? In this blog we look at the current provisions, the shortcomings of the system and what students really need. We’ll also discuss Louise’s award winning recent longitudinal research project ASPIRES, which explores young people’s educational and employment aspirations.

Is current careers support right in Level 2 and 3 education?

Legislation introduced in 2008 made it a requirement for schools and academies to provide opportunities for a range of education and training providers to access all year 8 to year 13 students. But does the careers advice currently on offer lead students in the right direction to achieve the best they can do in HE and apprenticeships??

Due to the mixed economy of provision out there right now, it’s clear that some schools and colleges could well do things in quite a different way.

In March 2024 the government asked Ofsted to carry out a review of current careers, education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) for young people in FE, schools and skills providers.?

During the summer term they have been inspecting schools with this as a priority focus. They are aiming to evaluate the quality of careers guidance, but interestingly, also generating evidence on how things could be potentially developed to give inspections in this area more clarity.?

Whilst the statutory careers guidance will expire or be reviewed on an annual basis, the recent election will have pushed this back meaning some students simply may not be getting the help they need.?

In 2014 the Gatsby benchmarks were introduced. Their aim was to define what world class careers provision in education really looks like in a school setting and provide a clear framework for organising the careers provision at all schools and colleges.?

We have certainly found these benchmarks helpful. The findings that will land later this year based on the research that Gatsby is publishing will certainly be intriguing.

What careers education should every student have access to?

The Education Development Trust shared an interesting review recently of what the promising steps already made towards a consistent level of careers provision are and the work that still needs to be done. How work experience can be planned to give a reliable glimpse into work life is certainly something that still needs considering. This has been further highlighted with the issues around T-Levels.?

However, it’s young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and certainly NEET’s (not in employment, education or training) who seem to be particularly missing out:?

“SEND students are less likely than their peers to be in sustained education, employment or training, meaning high-quality careers guidance may be particularly important for this group.”

How can exam boards help?

In conjunction with OCR’s refreshed A Level in Sociology (coming very soon) will be a whole raft of free professional development, events, face-to-face and online networks and teaching and support resources. Part of Tom’s job as a subject advisor is to promote opportunities for staff and students to broaden their cultural capital and access opportunities both inside and outside school. When there are opportunities to collaborate with HE, welcome an external organisation into your school or attend subject conferences he will always share it with everyone. The aim is always to help give students a possible window into their futures.?

An excellent upcoming example is the Sociology in Action conference coming this November – get your tickets now!?

Please sign up to subject updates to hear about these opportunities instantly.

The ASPIRES project

The ASPIRES research project (2009-2023) was a longitudinal, mixed-methods study that tracked a single cohort of young people in England (born 1998-99) from age 10-22. The study conducted surveys with 47,622 young people and 800+ semi-structured interviews with young people and with their parents/carers across six time points.?

It aimed to identify the factors shaping young peoples’ trajectories, seeking in particular to understand what influenced whether a young person went on to pursue STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics), or not. The surveys and interviews explored young people’s educational and employment aspirations, experiences and outcomes.?

The study asked university students how well they felt their A Levels had prepared them for degree study. We compared their responses based on whether the student studied a STEM/non-STEM subject, and compared students from different backgrounds, for example looking at gender, ethnicity and index of multiple deprivation (IMD) which is often used as a measure of poverty.?

We found that there were notable differences between degree subject areas in terms of how well students felt that A Levels had prepared them. For instance, while 61% of maths degree students agreed that they had been well prepared by their A Levels, only 37% of biology students felt the same. Overall, only roughly half of all students agreed that their A Levels had prepared them well for degree study.?

We also noted differences between different demographics, with the lowest percentages of students agreeing that A Levels prepared them well for degree study being found among women, racially minoritised and low-income students. In particular, white students and middle- and higher-income students felt most prepared by A Levels for their degree study.?

We suggest that more research is required to understand the relationship between these factors more thoroughly.

Future aims and objectives

What’s clear is that career guidance in schools should always be evolving. The needs of students will change, and the diversity of the job market will follow. The rise in the use of AI is an interesting one in this area. Could there be completely transparent personalised careers guidance which really does take into account individual interests, strengths and aspirations??

How could partnerships with linked organisations and industries work easily for both parties so there is a clear way of measuring what each young person gets out of their experiences?

Stay connected

If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected], call us on 01223 553998 or message us on X (formerly Twitter)@OCR_Sociology. You can also sign up to subject updates and receive the latest information about resources and support.

About the authors

Louise Archer holds the Karl Mannheim Chair in Sociology of Education at University College London (UCL). Her research focuses on educational identities and inequalities, particularly in relation to social class, gender and race/ethnicity. She has authored over 100 academic books and journal articles and has directed numerous research projects, including the 14 year, longitudinal ASPIRES study. She also co-founded the Athena SWAN Charter, which is now the main gender equality scheme across UK higher education.

As one of the new subject advisors, Tom Genillard has been at OCR for nearly two years and is overseeing the exciting sociology redevelopment as well as the upcoming Policing and Criminal Justice Cambridge Advanced National, Alternative Academic Qualification. Previously, he was a teacher for 11 years which included various roles in teaching and pastoral management leading to his last role as Head of Human Sciences. In his spare time, he enjoys playing sport, watching crime documentaries and playing with his two sons.