The impact of 14-19 reforms on the career guidance profession in England

This project will study the impact of 14-19 reforms on career guidance in England, which was repositioned within Connexions in 2001, and faces further change as Connexions is devolved to local authorities in 2008. Based primarily in three North West Connexions services, the research will focus on continuity and change in the professional roles, identities and practices of careers advisers. It will seek to map the national state of the profession within Connexions in terms of staffing levels, turnover and specialist expertise. It will also ask how changes in 14-19 education, training and support have shaped the delivery of career guidance; and how careers advisers position themselves in relation to these changes. A key question for the study is: what happens when policy decisions fundamentally restructure an entire profession? In addition to a national survey, the project will use qualitative methods to investigate the experiences of careers advisers working in Connexions and those who have quit the service, and the perceptions of local managers and national stakeholders. Working closely with participating services and national policymakers, the research will seek to develop insights into the infrastructural support and professional development needs of the career guidance profession in the 14-19 sector.