New campaign supports careers advice provided by schools
The second phase of Middlesex University’s innovative Make Your Mark campaign engages with teenagers and young people from the age of 11 to help them consider different career pathways and the skills they need to achieve their goals.
It incorporates an interactive ‘Discover Me’ tool to provide them with career suggestions that may suit their personality and personal attributes.
Discover Me is twinned with the new ‘Pathways’ tool, which provides practical advice on what to do next.
Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University, Professor Tim Blackman explains that Make Your Mark was developed using research from school heads and teachers.
“They often told us careers guidance is patchy or non-existent,” he says.
“This means that some young people are losing out and not getting the information they need to make choices about their futures.
“We call on the Government to make sure schools have adequate funding so that careers advice is consistent and appropriate for the needs of the young people who have to make important life decisions, as well as the wider economy and society.”
Professor Blackman also commented that it’s more important than ever for young people to understand the different routes available for them to get the skills and qualifications they need.
“Post-Brexit, the country will need a highly skilled workforce, and young people need support to enable them to reach their potential and support a growing economy,” he said.
The importance of high quality careers education was highlighted in the January 2018 House of Commons Briefing Paper which describes current provision in schools as inadequate and too narrow.
The issue was emphasised again in a recent collaborative report between Middlesex and the University of Sheffield about the scale of challenges faced by young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The authors have recommended that schools and colleges implement compulsory high-quality career information to their curriculums, as well as establish an early warning system to identify pupils who are lacking engagement with their studies.
Middlesex launches Make Your Mark 2
It incorporates an interactive ‘Discover Me’ tool to provide them with career suggestions that may suit their personality and personal attributes.
Discover Me is twinned with the new ‘Pathways’ tool, which provides practical advice on what to do next.
Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University, Professor Tim Blackman explains that Make Your Mark was developed using research from school heads and teachers.
“They often told us careers guidance is patchy or non-existent,” he says.
“This means that some young people are losing out and not getting the information they need to make choices about their futures.
“We call on the Government to make sure schools have adequate funding so that careers advice is consistent and appropriate for the needs of the young people who have to make important life decisions, as well as the wider economy and society.”
Professor Blackman also commented that it’s more important than ever for young people to understand the different routes available for them to get the skills and qualifications they need.
“Post-Brexit, the country will need a highly skilled workforce, and young people need support to enable them to reach their potential and support a growing economy,” he said.
The importance of high quality careers education was highlighted in the January 2018 House of Commons Briefing Paper which describes current provision in schools as inadequate and too narrow.
The issue was emphasised again in a recent collaborative report between Middlesex and the University of Sheffield about the scale of challenges faced by young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The authors have recommended that schools and colleges implement compulsory high-quality career information to their curriculums, as well as establish an early warning system to identify pupils who are lacking engagement with their studies.
Learn more about Make Your Mark at Middlesex
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