#TheWeekInCareers - Episode 12

Welcome to The Week in?#Careers! If you are a first-time reader (and congratulations if so, you are now part of a 1300+ strong community!), this newsletter is my attempt at summarising some of the key?#Careers-related news from across the?#Careersphere?each week, along with some of the talking points I feel are worthy of further debate amongst the?#Careers?community! So, without further ado, on to the news!

Career guidance and social justice: Vol. 1

Another week, another new regular segment for #TheWeekInCareers, this time focused on a topic that has been steadily gaining more traction in the #Careersphere, thanks in part to the excellent collection of blogs/articles regularly being put out via the Career Guidance for Social Justice blog site:

The idea behind this site, which was created by Tristram Hooley , Ronald G. Sultana and Rie Thomsen to develop and promote the ideas from their Career Guidance for Social Justice and Career Guidance for Emancipation publications, aims to support social justice by:

1. Promoting discussion and debate around the future of the careers field;
2. Helping practitioners to learn from each other and develop new ways to bring social justice into career guidance;
3. Providing materials that can be used by those involved in the education and training of careers professionals.

So, why does this matter? Well, as many careers professionals have regularly argued in response to questions around the value of our profession, career development work has the potential to impact the world in a variety of different ways (as Rie Thomsen outlines in her research), from the individual (providing 1:1/group support, advocating for clients) to the institution/organisation (influencing service delivery, initiatives to support particular groups) and social/political system level (affecting systemic change through policy creation/amendments, lobbying with stakeholders). Liane Hambly (she/her) recently shared a beautifully designed poster from CERIC which summarises the 'guiding principles of career development' and how our work connects with many social, educational and financial benefits to society when done well:

Convinced? Well, we're pressing on with the segment regardless, as it's already been written! ?? To kick off our first volume of Career Guidance and Social Justice, I've highlighted a handful of articles and stories below that hopefully illustrate just how important this aspect of career development work is to us all:

? What's in an accent? - A really important piece of research was released this week, undertaken by Professor Devyani Sharma from Queen Mary University of London and funded by The Sutton Trust , which explored the impact that our accents can have on our experiences of education/work and how we are perceived by others. There were some truly shocking statistics that came out of the research (which surveyed 511 university applicants, 1029 university students, 1014 early career professionals and 1002 later career professionals), including

• Researchers found 46% of workers have faced jibes about their accents, with 25% reporting jokes at work.
• 30% of student respondents said they had experienced being mocked, criticised or singled out for their manner of speaking. Such experiences were especially pronounced among students from northern England.
• 31% of university attenders indicated that they were worried that their accents could have a negative impact on their future careers.

The report (and accompanying news stories) led to many professionals on platforms like LinkedIn sharing similar stories of how their accents had presented perceived and/or genuine barriers to education/employment opportunities throughout their careers and this sobering thought, coupled with the continuing dominance of RP (Received Pronunciation) accents for individuals in positions of authority (particularly politicians), as outlined by Sir Peter Lampl from The Sutton Trust , shows we still have a long way to go to combat accent bias. This emphasises just how important the work of careers professionals can be in challenging stereotypes in education/the labour market, through exposing clients to a diverse range of role models and advocating with businesses and government stakeholders on representation related issues where we can:

? Money Matters - Cost-of-living has understandably been a huge concern for all of us in the #Careers sector of late, not just in terms of our own individual situations but also in regard to the clients that we serve. One example of this which has been getting a lot of airtime on social media this week is the recent Cost of Living Report from the National Union of Students (UK) , which found that:

"...a third of UK students have ￡50 or less to live on per month after paying rent and bills."

This shocking statistic regarding students' lack of disposable income has led to some really important conversations/advocacy from careers professionals on social media, in particular calling out businesses who might be returning to in-person interviews and assessment centres and asking them to consider how they will financially support applicants to attend, as well as challenging job vacancies that feature 'competitive' salaries or limited detail regarding remuneration (echoing the Adzuna #MakeSalariesMandatory campaign we highlighted in the newsletter a few weeks ago):

Again, this news story demonstrates just how connected career development work is to areas like decent work and cost-of-living - as careers professionals, we are often witnessing the impact of poor working practices on clients first-hand, putting us in a knowledgeable position to advocate on behalf of the individuals we work with and educate other stakeholders through our use of social media and our professional networks.

On a somewhat related note, keep an eye out for our next #WeAreCareers episode, dropping on Wednesday 16th November @ 12:00, when MeetSabiha . and I will be speaking with Fiona Cook from Yorkshire Building Society and Rachel Salmon from Gradconsult about the Money Minds financial education programme/resources and why financial literacy is such an important topic for careers professionals to have an awareness of! Full details of how to watch the show can be found below ??

• Watch the show via the CDI Facebook Community of Practice (for CDI members)
• Watch the show via the CDI LinkedIn page
• Watch the show via the CDI YouTube channel

? Ethical Careers Policies - Next up, we revisit an article we first shared a few weeks ago on #TheWeekInCareers, penned by Fergus Green from People and Planet , which rationalised the decision recently taken by Birkbeck, University of London to ban fossil fuel recruiters/employers from taking part in any activities with their careers service, Birkbeck Futures, including advertising job opportunities or attending their careers fairs. The decision from Birkbeck, and article from Fergus, drew a mixed response from the careers community, with some fully in support of the university/careers service taking a stand on Climate Change while others shared concerns that this approach risked removing agency from the students the university works with. Regardless of which side of the line you fall (and it is far from a binary argument, as I'll cover in a future article for the Career Guidance for Social Justice blog site - see below!), this article clearly shows that career development work does not exist in a vacuum and that we always have to be cognisant of how social or structural issues could impact the work that we do as careers professionals!

? Finally, we'd be remiss to conclude this first volume of the Career Guidance and Social Justice segment without sharing what is both an excellent example of the Career Development Institute 's #CareersImpact campaign (which is seeking to collate myriad examples of the impact that careers professionals have with their clients) and a clear case of what we mean when we talk about career guidance being a power for social justice and individual empowerment, underwritten by a client-centred code of ethics (in this case, the CDI Code of Ethics). Take a bow, Chris Targett RCDP , this is truly #CareersImpact in action:

Chris Targett RCDP concludes with the following, which nicely sums up why having a code of ethics is so important for careers professionals:

"For me, having a Code of Ethics from my professional body the CDI, to manage my own part of the conversation really helped. It ensured that I didn't project my own thoughts and feelings about the work onto him, whilst at the same time being able to share the unique knowledge I carry around."

Stay tuned for more volumes of Career Guidance and Social Justice down the line, including a response to the Ethical Careers Policy piece mentioned above, which I've put together with contributions from fab career development professionals and advocates like Ghislaine Dell , Rebecca Fielding and Charlotte Steggall !

Are we EVER ready for the future?

Eagle-eyed LinkedIn aficionados like myself will have been unable to avoid one of the big stories that has been dominating the LinkedIn News tab this week, which centres around a Sky News article - entitled Ten possible jobs of the future - and why Britain may struggle to fill them - that draws on research from Capital Economics and YouGov to suggest that the UK will potentially struggle to fill the 'jobs of the future' if computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) are not made a key part of the school curriculum. It's hard to argue with the premise of the piece - after all, we've recently seen it reported that demand for AI skills in the UK labour market has tripled over the past decade - not least the concerns raised by students and teachers regarding this subject (e.g. Almost half (47%) of students surveyed said they don't understand what jobs they can do in the future that involve AI).

However, the research mentioned in the second part of the article, which was commissioned by Amazon and involved the production of a 'Top 10 Jobs of the Future' list by futurologist Dr. Ian Pearson (see below), did cause me pause for thought:

Now, I'm no futurologist and I'm not disputing for one second that any of the 'Jobs of the Future' referenced above won't one day exist in some shape or form (indeed, listeners of The Rest is Politics podcast this week will have heard Rory Stewart sharing his frustrations regarding how little governments are talking about the transformative possibilities of AI) - rather, my concern comes from the often dogmatic focus we can see on the discourse around 'Jobs of the Future' and what being prepared for the future of work needs to involve. On the surface, this often feels like a sensible discussion - if we have an idea of some of the different roles that will exist in the future and what skills/technology might be required, it potentially becomes easier for young people or career changers to consider what they might need to learn in order to be a part of these industries...right? Well, colour me slightly sceptical. Many careers professionals will have seen (or have been part of) numerous threads on community groups or forums that begin with the simple question:

"How do we prepare young people for the jobs of the future?"

This question is often prefaced by the famously nebulous statistic (which seems to change as regularly as the Top 10 Jobs of the Future or Top 3 21st Century Skills lists):

"65% of school-age students will end up in jobs that haven't been created yet"

While it's perfectly logical to point out that many jobs have appeared over time which society hadn't conceived of previously (for example, when I was in school you would have struggled to sell me on how much of work in numerous industries would revolve around social media!), the use of the statistic above is potentially problematic, for a couple of different reasons:

1. There is no real evidence to back up the claim that '65% of school-age students will end up in jobs that haven't been created yet' (or the even more out-there claim from the IFF and Dell in 2018 that '85% of the jobs that today's learners will be doing in 2030 haven't been invented yet') - indeed, many commentators, such as Derek Newton, in this Forbes piece from 2018, have written withering critiques as an attempt to debunk this myth.
2. The implication of the statistic above has the potential to actually be quite harmful for young people, in essence implying that what students are learning today may not hold value for them in the future and subtly suggesting that schools have failed to recognize how to prepare their charges with the job skills needed for the future.

Of course, it is fair to challenge our education system and consider what aspects might be missing to support young people (and adult learners) to prepare for a changing world of work (indeed, we have an item in our #BestOfTheRest at the bottom of the newsletter referring to just this), but I am not convinced that many of the articles focusing on 'Jobs of the Future' or 'Skills of the Future' are necessarily leading to a healthy discourse in this space. As we've seen with some of the commentary around micro-credentialism, rapidly responding to the skills needs of different industries via the creation of specific qualifications in a way that is globally recognised can be tricky and if the pace of change is as extreme as many of the articles above suggest, it seems unlikely that an education system could ever ensure that its curriculum content was permanently on the cutting edge.

So, what's to be done? We are going to dig into this topic in more detail via future editions of #TheWeekInCareers but my personal perspective on this is very much around supplementing the narrative of 'Jobs of the Future/Skills of the Future' with a focus on empowering individuals to be 'Future Facing' and developing the curiosity (and knowledge of where to find reliable, accurate information), understanding of different technologies and ability to learn/unlearn that will give them the best chance to adapt to a changing world of work regardless of what the education system or labour market looks like at that point in time. I have previously written on this subject for FE News (including my frustration with Skills of the Future lists!) and would be keen to hear readers' thoughts on my points above and the article linked below!

A round-up of all of the posts, stories and articles highlighted by LinkedIn in relation to the topic above can be found via the link below, for anyone interested in digging into this subject in more detail! ??

https://www.dhirubhai.net/news/story/uk-may-struggle-to-fill-jobs-of-future-5050521/

What are your thoughts on this subject? To what extent can we prepare for 'jobs/skills of the future' and are there good examples of where this is happening already that move beyond the somewhat simplistic 'MORE NEW TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS...NOW' argument we often see outlined in much of the media commentary on this subject. Answers, as always, on a #TheWeekInCareers postcard! ??

Careers in Careers: Vol. 2!

That's right - one volume of the latest choice job roles within the #Careersphere wasn't enough, so #CareersInCareers is back for Vol. 2! Read on for a round-up of the latest vacancies for careers professionals in a range of different settings! ??

? Careers Advisor, Corpus Christi Catholic College (Leeds) - We start Vol. 2 of #CareersInCareers with a more traditional careers role, where Corpus Christi, an 11-16 secondary school based in East Leeds, are looking for a qualified careers professional to, in their words, 'co-ordinate our work experience programme, and contribute to the development of Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) across the curriculum to raise achievement and impact positively on the post 16 destinations of our students'. The role is term-time only and looking at a January 2023 start date, with the salary (GBP ￡28,268 - ￡29,827 per year, actual salary at grade SO2 FTE ￡32,909 to ￡34,723) up there with one of the better offers you'll see for careers professionals working in schools.

? Deputy Head of Careers and Employability Services, University of Bradford - We move to the HE careers sector next, with a new role that has been created within the careers service at the University of Bradford , which will involve operational responsibility for the Careers & Employability Services at the university, including Communications, Careers Education & Guidance, Employer and Placement Services. An excellent opportunity for experienced careers practitioners with people leadership/management experience and an interest in influencing service delivery. Check out the link above for more details or alternatively, reach out to Joanne Beaumont for informal inquiries prior to application!

? Head of Careers, Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate (York) - Another school-based careers role but something a little different, with this vacancy from Queen Ethelburga's College in York, an independent school that work with day and boarding students from 3 months to 19 years old and who are currently seeking a new Head of Careers to lead their careers provision and line manage the careers team, including liaising with curriculum representatives/careers champions to oversee how careers education is disseminated across the school. It looks like an all-encompassing role, given the school's buy-in for careers work and general ethos but successful candidates can expect a reasonable salary (￡35,162) and a range of perks, including enhanced maternity/paternity pay, 6.6 weeks annual leave, free gym membership and more.

? Regional Manager, Career Ready (Norfolk) - Another interesting opportunity outside of the typical careers advisor space here, with Career Ready , a national charity that links schools and colleges with employers to prepare young people for the world of work through a programme of regular contact with working people and workplaces. The main focus of the role is working with multiple stakeholders (including colleges and employers) across Essex and Norfolk to deliver the Career Ready 16-18 programme across Norwich/Norfolk, which will involve some autonomy over programme delivery and elements of partnership building and business generation as well. The role is remote, home-based with a flexible working policy and some travel required, and comes with a reasonable salary (￡33,000 – 36,000 p/a) and benefits - check out the link above for more information or email [email protected].

? In Custody Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Adviser, Shaw Trust (HMP Guy's Marsh) - We end with another role slightly outside of some of the typical careers positions we've shared previously as part of the #CareersInCareers segment, partly as this IAG Adviser role with the Shaw Trust , based in HMP Guy's Marsh and focused on supporting the rehabilitation of offenders via the provision of careers information, advice and guidance to prisoners in custody, is open to individuals with anything from an IAG L3 qualification upwards, with a view to successful applicants completing the Level 4 Diploma Career Information and Advice qualification if they don't have this already. That said, the role, which involves providing CIAG through various methods of delivery and supporting offenders into positive learning and employment outcomes in custody and beyond, could be a brilliant opportunity for careers professionals who are looking to support the career development of individuals outside of the typical education/adult guidance spaces.

As always, if you want to keep on top of all of the latest job opportunities in the #Careersphere, don't forget to check out the Career Development Institute 's #CareersInCareers portal, which can be found via the link below!

Finally, not strictly in keeping with our usual #CareersInCareers recommendations but a reminder that the Career Development Institute are currently recruiting for four important board positions:

If you are interested in joining the Board to help support the strategic direction of the CDI, then please do consider nominating yourself. Alternatively, you can give your support to a fellow practitioner who you feel could be the perfect fit for one of these roles!

Nominations for all Board roles will close by 9am on Monday 21 November 2022 - for more information and to nominate either yourself or someone else, check out the link below!

The Best of the Rest: My Hot Picks from the wider?#Careersphere

Are creative careers finally getting some love? - Followers on LinkedIn will know that I frequently give shout-outs to the good folks at ERIC , Mae Yip and Samantha Hornsby , who are already doing great work in helping demystify careers in the creative industries for young people but in positive news this week, it seems as though they may be getting some additional help from the UK government! ScreenSkills have been selected by the government to lead the delivery of a ￡950,000 Creative Careers Programme, which will be targeted in 53 priority areas across the country including Barking and Dagenham, Wolverhampton, Rotherham, Slough and Swindon, and will aim to help young people from underrepresented backgrounds break into the creative industries. [Ed: We'll caveat all this with the slightly more sobering news regarding recent Arts cuts across the country, including within the National Opera]

Gen Z can handle stress – in fact they’re brave enough to say it’s unacceptable - Next up, a brilliant piece from Bruce Daisley (who followers of the #SquigglyCareersPodcast may already be familiar with!), who hits back at characterisations of Gen Z as 'lacking resilience' by encouraging readers to understand the context in which this generation of young people are currently living (e.g. growing up under the lens of social media, necessity of extended screen time as a part of everyday life, constantly being told to 'be more resilient' etc.) and also why the approach many in Gen Z are taking by voicing displeasure at poor work practices and broken systems may well be the healthier option.

Stuck in a career slump? Job crafting could be the key to turning things around - Regular readers of the newsletter may already be familiar with the term Job Crafting (described in the article as "a strategy based around redesigning and reframing your job so that it aligns better with your personal values and strengths, allowing you to get more out of your work and focus on the parts that you find most fulfilling") but this is a nice update to the concept, with tangible, practical explanations of how Job Crafting could work in different scenarios and expert advice and contributions from careers professionals like Soma(Sh-oma) Ghosh !

'I can recite the quadratic formula' - There was no missing this impassioned speech from Wigan and Leigh Youth MP, Izzy, this week, as numerous careers professionals reshared her TikTok video, including Antony Adams and Ladi Mohammed-Chapman ?? . It's not hard to see why - in this searing, two-and-a-half-minute polemic, Izzy breaks down exactly where she and other young people feel the education system in England is letting them down, not least the focus on exam preparation over readiness for life after school. We'll be touching on this topic in our next newsletter but for now, this is a MUST WATCH.

The CDI responds to the 'Learning and Skills for Economic Recovery' research (aka the Blunkett Report) - As highlighted previously in #TheWeekInCareers, there were a lot of positives for careers professionals to take from the recent report commissioned by Keir Starmer and led by former Labour minister Lord Blunkett, not least copious airtime for the word #Careers itself - to add balance to the initial unfettered optimism, the Career Development Institute have put together a briefing paper exploring the implications for career development referenced in the report's recommendations (kudos to Tristram Hooley , International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) , Siobhan Neary and Claire Johnson for their rapid work on this!) There are some important takeaways identified by the CDI team for careers professionals to be mindful of as these proposals are discussed further within the Labour party, including a noticeable lack of emphasis on new funding to support the recommendations in the report and very little mention to date of the careers profession itself and the role of 1:1 careers guidance alongside careers education.

I'm always keen to hear what people think of this weekly newsletter format (e.g. Is it helpful? Does it add value to what is already out there on LinkedIn? What might make it better/more digestible?) so please do drop me a DM if you have any thoughts!

#TheWeekInCareers will be taking an enforced hiatus next week due to the editor selfishly swanning off to London towards the end of the week for a meeting of the Career Writers' Association but I'll be back in the #Careersphere in two weeks' time with Episode 13!