QAA Code of Practice on Careers Education Information and

							  QAA Code of Practice on Careers Education Information and Guidance
              - a policy for the University of Huddersfield
This paper contains a draft policy statement on Careers Education Information and Guidance
(CEIG). Universities were asked to adopt such a policy in the QAA Circular CL 11/00 – Code
of practice for the assurance of academic quality standards in higher education: CEIG
27.7.00.

The Code of Practice contained 14 Precepts. This paper offers comments and action points
on the ways in which the University could demonstrate it meets these Precepts. It builds on
the paper submitted on this topic by Bob Gilworth to the Teaching and Learning Committee
in May 2001.

Precept 1 states:-

The institution should have a clear documented and accessible policy for CEIG
including statements of the institution’s objectives and of students’ entitlements and
responsibilities.

Introduction

This institution’s mission statement is:-

       The University of Huddersfield will enable its students to reach their full
       potential by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to
       meet the requirements of work and society in the 21st century.

The Careers Education Information and Guidance (CEIG) policy describes a range of Aims
and Objectives for the CEIG activity delivered by the University. These Aims and Objectives
will enable the University to work towards achieving its mission. The CEIG policy also
incorporates those objectives of the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy which
relate to the development of students’ employability skills.

Aims

       The University aims to produce capable and employable graduates for the regional
       national and international labour market.

       All students will have access to quality careers education information and guidance
       assessed by internal audits and external agencies.

       A specialised central service of individual advice and guidance will be available to all
       students.

       Careers education, information and guidance will be delivered by a partnership
       between staff based in Schools and staff based in the Careers Advisory Service.

       A wide range of career development opportunities will be available to students as
       electives or integrated within the curriculum in each year of study.

       Career management skills will be embedded by the University as a fundamental
       feature of its employability strategy in conjunction with developments relating to key
      skills and work based learning.

Objectives

To ensure that students are:-

      Aware of opportunities open to them in work, education and learning.

      Able to access relevant information and advice to help they explore opportunities.


      Provided with the opportunity and skills necessary to understand, plan, reflect upon,
      review and take responsibility for their own career management.

      Able to enhance skills through experiential learning and to articulate those skills to
      prospective employers in an effective and appropriate way.

      Provided with the opportunity to identify and record skills and experiences by means
      of Progress Files.

      Aware of relevant labour market requirements, practices and trends.


Principles

Careers Education Information and Guidance provided by this University will be impartial,
confidential and client focused.

CEIG provision will be accessible and delivered in accordance with the University’s Equal
Opportunities statement.

Precepts 2-14:

2. CEIG provision should be impartial, client focused, confidential, collaborative,
accessible and in accordance with the institution’s equal opportunities policy

These principles are included in the draft CEIG policy statement. The Careers Advisory
Service (CAS) Student Charter also incorporates these principles.

3. CEIG provision should be subject to the institution’s quality assurance procedures

The Student Information Centre obtained Guidance Accreditation Board (GAB) accreditation
in June 2001. GAB accreditation is being sought for the whole of the CAS by summer 2002.
The new DfES Quality Standards are being introduced in February. These will replace the
existing standards. ACGAS endorses the new standards. The CAS will work towards
receiving accreditation against the DfES standards
The CAS has participated successfully in all recent QAA subject reviews. It has also been
involved with a successful QAA review at Oldham Business Management School where it
offers a contracted HE guidance service.
CEIG activity will be included in the Reviews of Schools and Services
4. The institution should seek to identify and cater for the special needs of students
who may be disadvantaged in the labour market.

Additional funding for CEIG work with disadvantaged students has been secured for those at
pre entry stage via the LSC funded Information, Advice and Guidance initiative. ESF
Objective 3/Yorkshire Forward funding is also being sought to support unemployed
graduates. This proposal targets work with minority ethnic graduates.

5. The institution should ensure that CEIG provision is designed to prepare students
for a successful transition to employment or further study and for effective
management of their career thereafter

CAS information will be provided to demonstrate how the University meets this Precept.
Similar information could be used to support Precept 5 in the Code of Practice on Placement
Learning.

6. The institution should ensure that CEIG interests are represented in appropriate
internal decision- making forums

To ensure CEIG interests are represented on internal bodies it was suggested in the
previous paper that the Managed Work Placement Committee’s remit could be widened to
include CEIG. The second meeting of the MWPC group reviewed the Code of Practice on
Placement Learning. It was clear from this review that statements from the CEIG policy need
to be also included in this Code Of Practice.

An alternative suggestion was that a separate CEIG committee be established to report to
the Teaching Committee.

Once the format of the committee responsible for CEIG has been agreed, evidence can be
collected to demonstrate that action is being taken across the whole University to meet both
the Code of Practice and the agreed CEIG policy.

7. CEIG should be promoted internally with mechanisms in place to support and
encourage collaboration with academic and other appropriate departments for the
benefits of students.

Progress File project staff based in CAS are working with academic staff and students in a
number of schools. For example, Health and Sports Studies students are using a pilot
version of the DIAL computer programme to record Personal Development activity
undertaken as part of the Career Management module.

8. Students should be provided with information on the services available to them
while registered at the institution and those which will continue to be available to them
when they have left.

Evidence can be obtained from the
   a) The Induction talks given by CAS and other staff
   b) The CAS Statement of Service. This meets Guidance Council standards
   c) Existing graduate materials. These will be expanded if additional funding for work with
      graduates is secured.
9. The institution should make clear in its information to prospective students how
the skills and knowledge acquired during study are intended to be of use to them in
the development of their careers.

Nothing to add to the examples listed in the previous paper.

10. The institution should promote close collaboration between employers and CEIG
providers to maximize the benefits to both students and employers

Evidence can be obtained from the
   a) The Induction talks given by CAS and other staff
   b) The CAS Statement of Service. This meets Guidance Council standards
   c) Existing graduate materials. These will be expanded if additional funding for work with
      graduates is secured.

11. The institution should ensure that CEIG provision takes account of developments
in the employment market and work opportunities in the community at large.

Examples here are Graduate Link, Jobshop, STEP and the CAS produced quarterly labour
market bulletin. Additional activities to mention would be the work of the Business Gateway
and initiatives relating to Reach-out/ Managed Work Placement etc.

12. The institution should ensure that all members of its staff involved with CEIG
provision, including academic staff, have the skills, knowledge and training
appropriate to the role they are undertaking.

CAS staff are delivering training to other University staff on developing career management
skills through the Staff Development Group.

A range of CEIG training sessions are delivered through the local adult guidance network,
the GAIN Partnership. Where appropriate, CAS and other University staff could access this
provision.

13. Providers of CEIG services should be required to account formally and regularly
for the quality and standards of their services with the objective of promoting
continuous improvement.

The standards that relate to CAS are highlighted in Precept 3. To ensure quality standards
apply across the whole University, an agreement on the committee mechanisms outlined in
Precept 6 needs to be reached.

14. The institution should ensure that data collected by the institution on graduate
destinations informs its CEIG provision.

Graduate Destinations information is made available to all Schools. Data is also published on
the CAS web pages. Individual CAS advisers provide specific destinations information for
tutors on request.
In addition to this many tutors also maintain their own databases of destinations information.

Summary

Developmental activity relevant to the Code of Practice is continuing to take place.