Information, Advice and Guidance

[Introduction] [Current policy and advocacy work] [Other projects] [External links]

Introduction

Information, advice and guidance (IAG) is integral to all NIACE’s areas of research and development work. Effective IAG plays a central role in enabling people to overcome barriers, to identify what learning is right for them, to make and act upon decisions about future learning; and to develop awareness and understanding of their own interests, skills, abilities and aspirations. It is important both to adults in learning, and to those not currently participating in education and training. Many NIACE projects contain within them an IAG element.

Over the past five years, NIACE has also undertaken a range of work with a specific focus on the subject of IAG for adults. During 2004-6, staff participated in the cross-governmental national review of adult IAG services in England. As well as sitting on the review’s working group, NIACE participated in expert seminars and was commissioned by DfES to undertake two research projects to inform the review’s work.

NIACE’s guidance team is drawn from staff across the organisation, including:

Mark Ravenhall, Associate Director, Regions and Europe
Professor Stephen McNair, Director, Centre for Research into the Older Workforce (CROW)
Kathyrn James, Development Officer (Learning & Health)
Helen Plant, Senior Research Officer
Rob Gray, Senior Project Officer
Sara Bosley, Research Officer
Jane Watts, Regional Development Officer (Equalities & Migration)
Hayley Lamb, Research Assistant

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Current policy and advocacy work

The current proposals to develop a universal adult advancement and careers service mean that this is an important time for all those involved in adult learning to consider what would best serve the needs of adults.

NIACE, in dialogue with the adult learning and adult guidance sectors, has been developing its own policy response to the proposals.

In November 2007, NIACE ran two seminars in Sheffield and London on the subject of the proposed new service. These were informed by a draft NIACE position paper, and were attended by Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), providers and practitioners from across the public, private and voluntary sectors, and other IAG specialists.

The position paper was revised in light of the seminars. Within the context of NIACE’s broad support for the development of an adult advancement and careers service, it sets out what we believe to be key areas of concern that will need to be addressed during the design and development of the new service.

In February 2008, NIACE and the Centre for Guidance Studies (CeGS) at the University of Derby organised a joint one-day conference in Nottingham on the theme of Learning from Practice: challenges and issues for the new adult careers service on working with marginalised groups. Keynote speakers were Michael Davis (CFE), Professor Tony Watts (University of Derby) and Professor Jenny Bimrose (University of Warwick).

NIACE is currently working with Careers England on areas of joint policy concern. Careers England, the trade association for careers businesses in England, has commissioned Professor Tony Watts to produce a series of Policy Commentaries upon key national issues for its members. Normally these are, therefore, not in the public domain. However, Careers England and NIACE are in close discussions about future potential collaborations, and following the NIACE conference in Nottingham on the proposed new 'adult advancement and careers service', held on 6.2.08, Careers England is pleased to make available these three key Commentaries which directly relate to the proposed new service. Anyone interested in the work of Careers England is invited to e-mail to paul.chubb@careersengland.org.uk

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Other projects

Progress GB

NIACE is the lead partner in Progress GB, an EQUAL Round 2 Development Partnership aiming to address barriers to appropriate employment for refugees and migrants. The partnership is piloting and mainstreaming innovative approaches to the following two objectives:

1. Supporting employers to overcome skills shortages by promoting inclusive work practices;
2. Helping refugees and migrants to develop and adapt their skills for the UK labour market through a range of lifelong learning opportunities. http://www.niace.org.uk/Research/ASR/Projects/Progress-GB.htm

STEPS to Success

The Steps to Success project uses innovative personal adviser methodologies to support economically inactive or long-term unemployed people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities in Leicester to undertake training and find employment in the retail sector.

http://www.niace.org.uk/projects/stepstosuccess

Helping Older Workers: the implications of an ageing workforce for career guidance provision

NIACE was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills to produce a paper on the implications of an ageing workforce for career guidance provision, to inform the National Information, Advice and Guidance Review. The paper was prepared jointly with The Employment and Age Network (TAEN) and the Centre for Guidance Studies at the University of Derby (CeGS).

Download "Helping Older Workers: the implications of an ageing workforce for career guidance provision"

Guide to support ex-offenders and IAG practitioners working with them

NIACE was commissioned by Ufi Ltd to develop two guides to support mainstream IAG practitioners working with ex-offenders, as part of the suite of guides available via the advice-resources website. Vision for Change is aimed at advisers, and Help on the Outside is designed for use by people from the client group.

Copies of the guides can be downloaded via the link below.

http://www.advice-resources.co.uk/

Embedding Information, Advice and Guidance in Learning Provision for Adults

NIACE was commissioned by the LSC to undertake groundbreaking research into the provision of on-programme (or embedded) information, advice and guidance for adults in further education, adult and community learning and work-based learning. The research included a literature review, survey of providers and good practice case studies. A series of seminars were held to disseminate the findings to providers and support the development of good practice.

Mapping staff competence and capacity to plan and deliver information, advice and guidance to adults

The LSC commissioned NIACE to carry out research into levels of staff competence and organisational capacity to plan and deliver services to adults across publicly funded IAG provision. In particular, the research sought to identify current and anticipated future gaps. Research was carried out through a literature review, telephone interviews, a survey of providers and good practice case studies.

National Guidance Policy Forum (‘MEDSUI’)

Between 2004 and 2006, NIACE was the co-ordinator and UK partner on a European Joint Actions-funded project to explore the development of national policy forums for Guidance in six member states (Malta, Estonia, Denmark, Slovenia, the UK and Ireland). A key strand of work in the UK was the development of understanding on approaches to the involvement of service users.

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External Links

NIACE is not responsible for the content on external websites.

Careers England
http://www.careersengland.org.uk

CFE
http://www.cfe.org.uk

CRAC
http://www.crac.org.uk

Institute of Career Guidance
http://www.icg-uk.org

International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby
http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs

learndirect Advice
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk

NAEGA
http://www.naega.org.uk

extstep
http://nextstep.org.uk

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