London Ambitions Research: Shaping a Successful Careers Offer for all Young Londoners

Tami McCrone, David Sims, Zoe Des Clayes

24 November 2017

How to implement the London Ambitions Careers Offer

This NFER and London Councils report identifies emerging promising practice in the delivery of careers education and guidance (CEG) through ‘London Ambitions’ careers strategy. It is accompanied by an accessible  guide for school senior leaders and teachers, which provides evidence-based illustrations of delivery of CEG within some London schools and colleges.

We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with staff and five focus groups with young people in case-study visits to four schools and one FE college (identified by London Councils) in London between February - May 2017.

Key findings included:

• The schools and college prepare young people well for the world of work through responsive careers provision for all their students.
• Senior leaders value CEG and support its development and profile within the institutional ethos.
• Engaging with employers and the world of work is seen as a priority.
• There is more work to be done in further raising the profile of the London Ambitions brand.

In order for CEG to become embedded these findings suggest that schools/colleges should:

• Embrace a whole-school/college approach to CEG, where senior leaders support and drive careers provision forward and all school staff fully understand its importance.
• Ensure they provide young people with meaningful learning experiences about the world of work to enable them to navigate through the choices that lie ahead.
• Engage in more dialogue about careers strategies and provision within, and between, institutions.
• Encourage and support employers to become involved in education.