The majority of UK teachers say their school’s careers service is “inadequate”

Emma Finamore
11 Jul 2016

Teachers also think business like Apple and Google should play a greater role in helping pupils make career choices.

Placeholder — Teachers want businesses to help provide careers advice to pupils

The majority of teachers think their school’s careers service is “inadequate”, according to a new survey published last week.

The survey – the result of collaboration between the Varkey Foundation, the Confederation of British Industry and the Times Educational Supplement (TES) – surveyed over 1,000 UK teachers.

Over half of UK teachers – 55% of respondents – believe their school’s careers service is inadequate in terms of helping their students make well-informed careers choices.

As a consequence, three-quarters (74%) of teachers said they would like to see business play a much greater role in their institution’s careers service. Nearly nine in 10 teachers (87%) believe that business has some kind of role to play in supporting schools.

The news comes in the same month as a House of Commons sub-committee report urged the Ofsted to punish schools failing to provide adequate guidance.

The top three areas where teachers wanted business involvement and support was in providing interesting speakers to speak in schools; providing work placements to students; and sharing their facilities with schools. Bottom of the list of demands were providing secondments for teachers and providing mock interviews to prepare students for their job search.

Teachers were also asked which one company from the top 20 most valuable brands in 2016 they would most like to engage with their school.

Tech brands dominated with Apple proving the most popular (360 teachers, comprising 31% of all respondents), followed by Google (244 teachers, 21% of all respondents) and Microsoft (150 teachers, 13% of all respondents).

Vikas Pota, Chief Executive of the Varkey Foundation, said: “Schools careers services can play a huge role by offering students the best quality advice for their careers. This is important for all children but for those who are disadvantaged, careers advice can opens up their eyes to possibilities that they had not even considered, transforming their lives.

“However, our survey clearly shows that teachers themselves have major concerns about the quality of careers advice in their schools. Most interestingly, an overwhelming majority, rather being wary of commercial involvement, would actively welcome business to play a role.”

Ann Mroz, Editor of the Times Educational Supplement, said: “Schools are struggling with getting careers advice right. It is only one of a vast number of other priorities they are having to deal with on shrinking budgets. While it is undeniably important, it is not core to what schools do, and therefore can sometimes suffer the consequences.

“It is important that while teachers seem happy to work with business on this key issue, businesses make a point of talking to schools about what they need rather than just rushing in.”

"Our survey clearly shows that teachers themselves have major concerns about the quality of careers advice in their schools. Most interestingly, an overwhelming majority, rather being wary of commercial involvement, would actively welcome business to play a role."

Teachers were also asked which one company from the top 20 most valuable brands in 2016 they would most like to engage with their school.

“It is important that while teachers seem happy to work with business on this key issue, businesses make a point of talking to schools about what they need rather than just rushing in.”

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