Scotland's careers strategy: moving forward

4. Enablers of the National Delivery Model 

To deliver the ambition of this strategy for every individual in Scotland, the shared principles will require a range of key enablers for successful implementation of the design, development and delivery of CIAG services. Positive destinations and improved learning and work outcomes can be achieved through closer working links.

Partners will explore how to enhance and use shared intelligence/data such as: Labour Market Intelligence, peer learning and improved usage of management information systems (MIS) and trend analysis that supports the identification of needs to better target support and services on a lifelong basis. 

Aligning with the current work taking place to develop a shared measurement framework through ‘No One Left Behind: Review of Employability Services’, partners will explore how to make best use of the information available to design, deliver and monitor CIAG services and understand better what works, and in what set of circumstances. Client/customer privacy and confidentiality will be fully adhered to and respected at all times. 

The use of robust, high quality and trusted Labour Market Intelligence is essential in developing career management skills and for individuals to develop their skills tailored to the needs of industry and enterprise. It is critical that parents/guardians/carers and teachers are supported to keep up-to-date on the current and future labour market. To ensure consistency and coherence across delivery partners, a central resource will be established by Skills Development Scotland, in a leadership role, and the Labour Market Intelligence/information it produces will be shared across the system and used to inform and improve practice and practitioner development activities.

Accurate Labour Market Intelligence will reflect the current and future labour market, highlight the occupations that will contribute to Scotland’s economic prosperity and the broad and emerging education, learning and skills pathways that enable individuals to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. This will include the wide range of work based learning pathways including Scottish Apprenticeships, which provide opportunities for Scotland’s people, from young people in the senior phase of school, to new entrants to work, to older employees who need to upskill or re-skill. In recognition of the work already underway between Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council and Education Scotland to define and embed ‘meta-skills’ within the learning and education system, we will ensure that practitioners have a clear understanding of meta-skills and the relationship with career management skills (CMS).

Through a collaborative partnership approach, we will draw together experience and expertise from across the whole system to maximise the impact of its collective resources to develop and deliver the National Delivery Model.

In Canada, the Future Skills Centre and Future Skills Council are driving forward labour market intelligence/information. A Labour Market Information Council has been established to bridge the gap between complex information and the information that individuals need to make career development decisions. Several new tools are being developed to look at the impact of service delivery and also the development of employability and readiness skills. An online assessment tool has been developed and trialled across public employment services in three provinces. The developers consulted with people working at the coalface of public employment services and the tool has been integrated into day-to-day practice rather than sitting outside. Visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/future-skills.html

With our ambition to bring alignment and commonality to CIAG services across Scotland, this will included bringing alignment to the digital offer. Digital CIAG will be aligned to create a single virtual platform that provides a seamless interface for individuals to continue the development of their career management skills and manage their own career advancement. Such services are an important way for individuals to access CIAG at a time that works for them. However effective digital services are reliant on the professionals, para-professionals and service offers that sit behind them. 

Building on the strengths of existing web services, we will develop stronger links and referral into and across the careers system to provide a seamless learner journey. We will ensure that individuals have access to the right tools and resources to support whichever transition point or career decision they are making.

In Finland, a national evaluation of guidance services is underway. In this programme there are a number of goals to improve CIAG, including compulsory career education programmes in comprehensive education, stronger emphasis on the work of career professionals in schools, a focus on CMS in vocational education and training (VET), support for transitions, strengthening the current one-stop-guidance centres for youth, cross-sectoral operational models for work with adults and national reform of continuous learning and preparation of an online ecosystem for guidance services.

CIAG learning platforms should have CMS as a core feature. These should be contextualised for the environment and the language used should be age and stage appropriate. 

Every individual in Scotland will have access to the national resource of an online profile tool, accessible to people of all ages, developed and designed in a way that supports an individual throughout education, learning and their career. This will be provided through www.myworldofwork.co.uk. This will support the recording of their skills, strengths, experiences and qualifications over time and deliver an online learner account that individuals will own and share with practitioners as they are making lifelong decisions and transitions. This will build on the embedding of the profile tool and account within post-primary school career education delivery through further and higher education and into adult service delivery. 

Our collective ambition to align face-to-face and digital services provides the opportunity to collaboratively utilise technologies to simplify access to CIAG services, through online instant messaging services, video conferencing, bi-lingual or British Sign Language video calls and other channels. Consideration will be given to the importance of smart phone optimisation, social media, use of analytics to differentiate preferred communication channels as well as to an increased blend of access to multi-channels to engage with the delivery methods. Cross-fertilisation of models of good  practice  from international examples will also inform our development work. 

The Danish website UddannelsesGuiden (www.ug.dk), for example, brings together information on general education, higher education and adult/continuing education. It further includes information on the structure of the Danish labour market, the role of industries and businesses and descriptions of the most common occupations and jobs in the Danish labour market. Users can access further information and guidance via chat, phone or email.

A key priority for CIAG providers is to support those who do not have access to online facilities or perhaps lack Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills to use online services effectively. Skills Development Scotland and key partners will share and monitor key performance indicators designed to ensure digital services increase the quality of CIAG. This will strengthen quantitative and qualitative evidence on CIAG provision to support both policy and practice decisions.