Information, advice and guidance: guiding post-14 choices, with particular reference to technical, practical and vocational courses

Young people face an array of choices in a fast-changing education and training landscape. These choices are critical to their future. But how can we make sure that young people make informed decisions about which post-14 courses to take? Furthermore, what information do young people who are interested in taking technical, practical and vocational courses require to enable them to find the right type of course in an appropriate learning environment? This paper presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations from a range of research which throws light on how young people make decisions, what type of information they value and use and how the information could be improved to facilitate effective transitions to further and higher education, apprenticeship training or employment. The authors discuss the evidence-based messages from their research into careers education and information, advice and guidance (CE/IAG) provision, their studies of barriers to participation in education and training, and their evaluations of policy interventions. They conclude the paper by discussing the implications of all the research evidence in the evolving policy context and the new duty on schools to provide impartial and independent careers guidance.

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