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Careers Education and Information, Advice and Guidance Policy

The purpose of this policy is to outline the intent, implementation and impact of Careers Education and Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) at The Cornwall College Group (TCCG) in relation to internal and external expectations. This policy encompasses the SEND Information Advice and Guidance strategy . It also provides transparency with regards to provider access within the organisation.

1. Mission, Strategic Aims and Values
This policy is underpinned by The Cornwall College Group’s mission statement: ‘Exceptional education and training for every learner to improve their career prospects’. The College brands itself as #thecareercollege aiming at ensuring students are successfully supported into careers, rather than solely completing courses.

2. Information, advice and guidance (IAG)
The Cornwall College Group will ensure that all students have access to independent and impartial career guidance to ensure they can make informed choices once being made aware of all of the different pathways.

2.1. Information will be universal and is offered about learning and training opportunities from a range of sources across the organisation.
2.2. Advice will be targeted to identified individuals where further support about learning and training opportunities on offer appropriate to the individuals need.
2.3. Guidance will be specialist and offered to individuals to clarify their goals, assess their skills and interests, research their opportunities and make informed decisions concerning their personal and career development.

All students and / or potential students are able to access this provision via one of our campuses, telephone or via Microsoft Teams.

Figure 1: Illustration of Graduated Response to IAG requirements

3. Statutory requirements and expectations
This policy enables the College to fulfil its statutory duties in relation to:

3.1. Department for Education: Careers Strategy December 2017
3.1.1. Inspiring encounters with further and higher education and with employers and workplaces
3.1.2. Excellent advice and guidance programmes
3.1.3. Support and guidance tailored to individual needs
3.1.4. Using data and technology to help everyone to make choices about careers

3.2. Department for Education: Careers guidance and access for education and training providers 2018
3.2.1. Publish the details of a named Careers Leader and a Careers Programme (Appendix 2)
3.2.2. Opportunities are provided for a range of education and training providers to have access to all students (Section 6).
3.2.3. Support all students to continue in education or training between the ages of 16 and 18. Either in full time study; an apprenticeship, traineeship or supported internship; full time work or volunteering (20 hours or more) combined with part time accredited study.
3.2.4. All ESFA funded education for 16 to 19-year-olds is delivered as a study programme which combines qualifications and other activities, and is tailored to each student’s prior attainment and career goals.
3.2.5. All 16- to 18-year-olds (and 19- to 25-year-olds with a current EHC Plan) in college must have access to independent careers guidance.

3.3. OFTSED: Education Inspection Framework
3.3.1. Quality of Education: Learners are ready for the next stage of Education, Employment or Training.
3.3.2. Personal development: At each stage of education, the provider prepares learners for future success in their next steps.

3.4. Gatsby Foundation: Benchmarks of ‘Good Career Guidance’
We are required to report regularly against the Gatsby Benchmarks for the Careers Hubs that are part of the relevant regional Local Enterprise Partnerships.
3.4.1. A stable careers programme
3.4.2. Learning from career and labour market information
3.4.3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
3.4.4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
3.4.5. Encounters with employers and employees
3.4.6. Experiences of workplaces
3.4.7. Encounters with further and higher education
3.4.8. Personal guidance

3.5. Matrix Accreditation: Matrix quality standard for information advice and guidance
3.5.1. This is a recognition of an organisation’s high standards of IAG delivery. Re assessment is carried out every 3 years to ensure accreditation is current. The assessment reviews the following 4 areas: Leadership and Management; Resources; Service delivery; Continuous Quality improvement

4. Learner Entitlement
The eight Gatsby Benchmarks underpin the DfE Careers Strategy and primarily applies to our Further Education provision. However, as per our strategic aims, we will endeavour to incorporate this for all of our learners including those in Higher Education.

Cornwall College will offer a core careers programme for students. The programme identifies the ‘Gatsby Benchmark’ being met and how this fits with the TCCG ethos of ensuring students are ‘Safe, Supported and Successful’ and it will be updated annually to reflect the latest guidance and frameworks and offer continued opportunities. The College will operate a ‘Careers across the Curriculum’ approach, and due to the breadth of offerings and the geography of the campuses, this is contextualised by course programme. A ‘Careers across the Curriculum’ plan will be developed by each curriculum area identifying specific sequenced careers related activity and the intended impact of this.

5. Management and delivery
We recognise the importance of putting in place effective arrangements for the management and delivery of the Careers Policy and this will be closely monitored by our Careers Coordinator in collaboration with curriculum teams to ensure an inclusive offer is available for all students.

The Graduated Response will be used to provide a range of support for all students with a range of expertise.

A careers programme outlines key activity that takes place throughout the year to support careers education. This will be published on the website for students and parents. It will be aligned to the learner experience timeline to ensure it can offer the relevant personal development required to prepare students for their future careers and also ensure relevant input into careers pathways as part of curriculum delivery.

5.1 Roles and responsibilities
5.1.1. The Director of Student Experience forms part of the Executive Leadership Team has the responsibility for CEIAG as well as safeguarding, pastoral care and progression for all learners.
5.1.2. The Careers Team sits within the Student Experience Team and consists of a CEIAG Coordinator (Careers Leader for TCCG) and qualified Careers & Progression Officers who service an area of campuses in order to provide impartial ‘targeted’ guidance with regards to learning and employment. A specialist HE Careers & Progression Officer works with HE students as well Level 3 students wanting to progress into HE.
5.1.3. Outside of the immediate Careers Team, Student Experience Managers are based on each campus and oversee a team of Engagement & Progression Officers who will support students on a daily basis assisting in removing barriers to progression and learning by providing pastoral support and signposting. They also provide ‘specialist’ advice for students with regards to progressing onto alternative provision within TCCG.
5.1.4. The Customer Services Team is the first point of contact for external applicants and they provide ‘universal’ information to individuals about all college services. This often results in signposting to Curriculum teams or the Careers team.
5.1.5. Curriculum Area Managers are responsible for ensuring their teaching teams maintain an industry standard level of knowledge and skills as well as maintaining close links with industry.
5.1.6. Programme Managers provide a curriculum intent for their programme of study aligned to the development of students with regards to career readiness and progression. Due to the vocational nature of the organisations provision, Careers Education is embedded within curriculum delivery and addressed through qualification schemes of work. They are available to provide students with industry specific ‘universal’ information, advice and guidance. They will also ensure students have access to sector related work related speakers and visits.
5.1.7. Industry Placement and Work Experience Coordinators work closely with curriculum areas and employers in order to support students’ engagement with employers and the workplace.
5.1.8. Parents and carers play an important role in career development and therefore where appropriate parental involvement will be encouraged. Parents/Carers will be given access to ‘ProPortal’ where they can view their child/wards progress. In addition to this, events will be made accessible to parents as well as information evenings about the different pathways available.
5.1.9. External careers support agencies work with the careers team to ensure specialist provision is available for those students who need it. This includes Careers South West, National Careers Service, Next Steps South West, Young People Cornwall and Work Routes.
5.1.10. Employers, community partners and learning providers (including Higher Education providers, local FE providers the Local Enterprise Partnerships- Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Hub/ Heart of the South West Hub) work in collaboration with the college in different ways. These relationships are in place to ensure that TCCG students are exposed to a range of opportunities.

5.2 Staff development
5.2.1 All members of the Careers Team hold a Level 6 Careers Guidance qualification or are working towards it.
5.2.2 Internal group development days will include Careers Education training for the wider Student Experience Team and curriculum staff in addition to continual professional development sessions happening throughout the year, led by the careers team.
5.2.3 Curriculum staff take part in ‘Back to Industry’ days to maintain currency and understanding in their sector to ensure relevant and up to date information can be provided to students.
5.2.4 Careers Leader training offered to specific managers to increase understanding of careers education need within the organisation.

5.3 Teaching, learning and assessment
The careers across the curriculum approach emphasizes the importance of creating rich learning environments and designing compelling learning experiences for students relating to their career goals. This is identified within the curriculum intent for the individual programmes of study.

6 Monitoring, reviewing, evaluation and reporting
6.1 Gatsby benchmarks will be reviewed three times a year using the Compass evaluation tool and results will be shared with the LEP in order to ensure a thorough review and evaluation.
6.2 The Careers & Enterprise Company Annual Checklist will be completed at the end of each academic year to ensure statutory requirements are adhered to.
6.3 A careers action plan will be implemented to ensure continued development in careers education, information, advice and guidance based on statutory guidance and good practice. The CEIAG policy identifies the aims of the whole organisation (intent) whilst the action plan will outline the careers specific actions that will be carried out in order to achieve these aims (implementation) and what success will look like (impact). This is a holistic whole college approach and not a plan to be carried out by the Careers team in isolation.
6.4 The implementation of the Careers Programme will be monitored and reviewed by the Careers Leader, Enterprise Advisers and the Executive Leadership Team.
6.5 Monitoring the programme will be achieved through record keeping, tracking and observation. The purpose of reviewing is to identify improvements that could be made. Curriculum based careers activity will be monitored through the lesson observation and course review processes in addition to reports generated from ProMonitor identifying careers related activity.
6.6 The Careers Leader contact details are published on the website should parents/careers wish to feedback about the content of the Careers Programme.
6.7 The Careers Leader will evaluate and report on the programme from a student perspective using a range of evaluation methods including focus groups, evaluations and surveys. Where appropriate the information will be sourced from ‘Student Voice’ activity that regularly takes place within the academic year.

7 Provider Access Statement
This policy statement sets out the organisations arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the college for the purposes of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with legal obligations under section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

7.1 Student Entitlement: Students are entitled to:
7.1.1 Find out about academic and vocational qualifications, as well apprenticeship opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point.
7.1.2 Hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer.
7.1.3 Understand how to make application for the full range of academic and technical routes.
7.2 Management of provider access requests: A provider wishing to request access should contact the Careers Leader: Sarah Wheildon; Telephone 01726 226444; Email careers@cornwall.ac.uk
7.3 Opportunities for Access: A number of activities are integrated into the Careers Programme as well as ‘Careers across the Curriculum’ plans. We will offer an opportunity for providers to have access to students at these events in alignment with our Visitors Policy.
7.4 Premises and facilities: Requests for equipment to support provider presentations should be made to the Careers Leader in advance of any events/visits to an individual campus. Providers are welcome to leave copies of prospectuses or other relevant course literature to be distributed to the different campuses.

8 Related documents
• TCCG Careers Programme
• TCCG Careers Action Plan
• TCCG Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement and Policy
• TCCG SEND IAG Strategy