Welcome to the Space to Grow CATE Conference 2012

Discussions around Youth Guarantee, Vocational Pathways, Trade Academies, the Career Education Benchmarks, and the Careers Review have left career practitioners in no doubt that they work in interesting times.  They know that their career and transition roles working with young people are important, and they are proud of their successful programmes and initiatives.   While they agree that there are too many young people without formal qualifications and not involved in training, career practitioners take pride and pleasure in the many successful, though largely unheralded, outcomes of their work.

There is a need for career practitioners working in secondary schools to increase their influence on school policies and provision and for work around individual aspirational pathways to increase with even younger children.  Typically, Careers has operated in the background in schools with the focus mostly on curriculum, achieving credits, and gaining entrance to university.  However, many parents and industry groups view one of the major tasks of secondary schools as being the preparation of students for employment and even for specific work places.  In the schools where Careers does influence the big picture, it assists to put the curriculum in a context for students and results in them being more engaged in learning.

There is increased pressure for career practitioners to be leaders.  However, many have not had specific careers development training.  Even without sufficient skills in building the necessary rapport, they are expected to improve the future prospects for young people with whom they have little natural empathy.  To offer up-to-date guidance to students taking a path similar to their own requires considerable preparation and skill, but to work either one-on-one or in groups of young people who have a totally different window on the world, is considerably more demanding.

The expectation is that today’s career leader will assist teachers put their teaching subject into context; will identify students suitable for vocational academies; will lead academic coaching; and help motivate teachers to become mentors of their students.  This requires that careers practitioners increase their visibility and develop their level of skill.  Currently, they are taking count of how they add value to their school’s contribution to its community.  School boards and management are hopefully also considering their responsibilities. They need to know how well-equipped their careers team is to provide an effective service for students and teachers from a variety of backgrounds, with a variety of pathways and aspirations.

It is the purpose of the 2012 CATE Conference to assist its delegates to understand and meet these challenges.

Conference purpose and aims.

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