AGCAS Community - Careers Advice and Guidance

Bath Spa's 'Little Blue Book'

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:46:37 GMT

Bath Spa University Careers has published a new guide to help convey the many opportunities open to students and the benefits of participating in them. The Little Blue Book: An essential guide to planning your future supports students at different stages of their career planning and has become a much sought-after giveaway to drive footfall to the careers centre.

'Graduate labour market holding up' AGCAS survey

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:21:23 GMT

More employers are looking for graduates according to university careers and employability professionals. Responding to the regular vacancy survey carried out by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), 87.5% of heads of careers services said that in their experience the graduate labour market was more buoyant (50%) or the same (37.5%) in the quarter ending 31 December 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

Coaching complements University of Sunderland provision

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:57:07 GMT

The University of Sunderland's Careers and Employability Service identified a need to improve students' confidence and better prepare them for graduate selection processes. Feedback for the new coaching service is very positive and demand is expected to grow.

The modern university careers service

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:12:28 GMT

What sort of careers service do you want? One size doesn't fit all. Catherine Klimes, Head of Careers and Employability at the University of Northampton, outlines what careers services can offer their VCs in a diverse and fast-changing sector.

New careers council seeks members

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:47:15 GMT

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is establishing a new group, a National Council for Careers, to advise the government on improving the quality of careers advice. The Council will provide independent advice to help drive the success of the National Careers Service, due to be launched in In April 2012, and is now looking for nominations from prospective members from a variety of backgrounds, including the careers guidance sector, the education sector, and business.

Work while studying: blessing or curse?

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:56:45 GMT

Research into undergraduates' experiences of working has been conducted by AGCAS member Angela Vesey, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and winner of the 2011 AGCAS John Roberts Memorial Prize. Angela's study, as part of her MA in Career Education, Information and Guidance in HE (CEIGHE), explored the nature and extent of undergraduates working at NTU, their motivations for working and its perceived impact.

AGCAS new year resolution: Make ARENA even better

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:19:42 GMT

Here at AGCAS, we're always trying to improve our communications with members. Recently, we seem to have got better at reporting things that interest you. What we are working on now is being quicker off the mark so that, with our help, AGCAS members are recognised as the most up-to-date and well-informed people anywhere on any issue to do with the graduate labour market, employability and careers information, education, advice and guidance.

The Open University: Fees 2012-13

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:23:30 GMT

In July, The Open University (OU) announced that it had set a new fee level for new students in England starting after 1 September 2012. The new fee is £5,000 for a full-time year (120 credits), but as most OU students study part time, this figure will be scaled down in proportion to the intensity of their study.

Staff development success for Leeds

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:07:18 GMT

The Careers Centre Strategy Team at the University of Leeds, rather than solely increasing online provision to meet the challenges of the economic downturn, chose to train support staff to provide initial information and advice to students and graduates.

Sir Alex Ferguson's employability audit

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:48:46 GMT

Sir Alex Ferguson this week celebrates 25 years as Manchester United manager. To be continually employed for a quarter of a century is quite an achievement, especially in a field where job security is rare. From a careers professional's point of view though, it's interesting to consider what would happen if, perhaps through no fault of his own, Sir Alex had to look for work. Would he readily find another position in the same or another field? Is he still employable?

Mixed picture on graduate jobs front - HE careers services

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:27:57 GMT

University careers services across the UK have reported a mixed picture during the third quarter of 2011, both in the messages they are getting from employers and in the number of jobs they are advertising. While vacancies in some sectors are said to be up, there is increased competition for most positions.

Revised matrix Standard launched

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:02:33 GMT

The revised matrix Standard was launched on 12 October 2011. The launch event was opened by Ian Greenaway, Chair of EMQC Ltd, and Dave Allan, Managing Director of EMQC Ltd, culminating with an address by John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning. AGCAS was represented by Lucy Madahar, Assistant Director of Student Services at Birmingham City University and AGCAS Director of Quality and Membership.

Careers section of Education Bill 2011 - suggested amendments

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:24:27 GMT

The Education Bill 2010-2011 is now at the report stage in the House of Lords, where it is being examined line by line. The next meeting will take place on 18 October 2011. Among the proposed amendments are some concerning Section 27 on Careers Guidance in Schools In England.

Getting creative with CVs

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:26:40 GMT

Art and design students at North Hertfordshire College have been participating in a series of creative CV workshops. Led by AGCAS member Emma Bumpus, Careers Guidance Officer, participating students produced a range of interesting and very individual CVs as part of a BTEC personal development module.

Progress towards a National Careers Service for England

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:38:42 GMT

The National Careers Service Advisory Group, which was formed to advise government on its proposals to develop and implement a National Careers Service for England, met on Friday 7 October 2011. AGCAS was represented, with Communications and Marketing Manager, Chris Jackson, standing in for President, Anne-Marie Martin.

AGCAS and the Careers Profession Alliance

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:30:37 GMT

AGCAS has decided not to continue to be part of the Careers Profession Alliance (CPA). The AGCAS Board of Directors took the decision after consulting member services and taking into consideration their views and priorities.

Fireworks and networks

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:21:38 GMT

The difference of opinion on brokering unpaid internships is just one example of tensions in the coalition government: Nick Clegg has condemned them, saying 'we want a fair job market based on merit, not networks'; David Cameron is 'very relaxed' about offering work placements to people he knows. Gill Frigerio, Course Director of the Management of Student Work Experience programme at The University of Warwick, considers the theory behind the recent debates on social mobility and asks if it really is all about who you know.

Launch of Lifelong Learning Accounts

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:14:13 GMT

The government has launched Lifelong Learning Accounts - a free, personalised online service for adults that allows them to take greater control of their learning and working life by providing clear information and advice on skills, careers and financial support all in one place.

AGCAS celebrates Awards for Excellence winners

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:36:24 GMT

The results of the 2011 AGCAS Awards for Excellence have been announced. Winners were presented with their awards at an official ceremony and dinner, held at the East Midlands Conference Centre as part of the AGCAS Biennial Conference at The University of Nottingham, earlier this month.

The number of nominations received for each category is evidence of the high-quality, innovative and collaborative work taking place at AGCAS member services across the country.

Concerns over reduced careers services for young people

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:41:41 GMT

A group of experts has warned that government plans to reorganise careers services will be damaging to young people. Planned cuts will reduce the availability of face-to-face guidance to young people, with services confined to telephone and web-based services. The National Careers Service Advisory Group, formerly the Advisory Group on the All-Age Careers Service, have issued a press release outlining their concerns about the 'widespread destruction' of careers services for young people.

HE white paper - AGCAS response

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:17:40 GMT

AGCAS welcomes the emphasis on employability and high-quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) in the government's higher education white paper, published today. AGCAS believes that access to high-quality CEIAG should start at school and continue through and beyond college and university.

Careers provision for young people in England

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:53:43 GMT

Profound changes are taking place to the financing of and legislation covering the delivery of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to young people via schools, sixth forms, FE colleges and youth services in England. Things are moving very fast: the second reading in the Lords took place on 14 June, so there isn't much time to try to safeguard, let alone improve, the CEIAG on offer.

This article is intended to update members on what we're doing as an organisation, invite your feedback about what we should do next, and encourage you to take action yourself.

Best practice guide launched by AGCAS Diversity Task Group

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:52:50 GMT

A good practice guide for careers professional working with care leavers has been produced by the AGCAS Diversity Task Group. In the guide, Debbie Laing, Careers Adviser at the University of Huddersfield and a member of the task group, makes recommendations for how such students might be supported through university to achieve successful outcomes.

CISG launches Resources Register

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:47:38 GMT

The AGCAS Careers Information Specialists Group (CISG) has created a new resource for AGCAS colleagues as a way of facilitating discussions between those members who have experience of using a resource/service, and those who are exploring their options.

Welsh careers services respond to government report

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:58:14 GMT

The Welsh Higher Education Careers Services (WHECS) committee has responded to the Welsh Assembly Government report, Future Ambitions: Developing careers services in Wales, which sets out a vision for the development of careers services in Wales.

Supporting care leavers in HE

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:47:08 GMT

The AGCAS Diversity Task Group is in the process of devising a Good Practice Guide for Careers Professionals: Working with Care Leavers, which will be available in late spring. Here, Andy Howells, Careers Adviser at the Open University and a member of the task group, introduces the planned content for the guide.

Report published on career destinations of disabled graduates

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:44:00 GMT

The 2011 report on the first destinations of disabled graduates, What Happens Next?, based on data collected from the 2008/09 cohort, has been published. Findings reported suggest that the proportion of both disabled and non-disabled graduates entering employment in 2009 fell, although the decrease for disabled graduates overall was marginally less than for their non-disabled peers.

India visit report launched

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:47:17 GMT

AGCAS is very pleased to launch the report of the PMI 2 funded visit to India by representatives from AGCAS and NASES during February 2010. A team of nine careers professionals undertook a range of visits in three major cities: Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Senior Adviser Careers & Employability (0.75 FTE)

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:14:01 GMT

Careers Consultant (Fixed Term for 1 Year, 21 hours per week)

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:20:24 GMT

Senior Careers Adviser

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:25:07 GMT

Career Consultant (part-time)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:02:38 GMT

Diagnosing Client Need, York

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:11:45 GMT

A one-day course for staff moving into initial client contact work or wanting to review current practice in their role.

Management, Warwick

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:16:41 GMT

This three-day NASES residential focuses on strategies for effective management within the context of career, placement and employability services.

Career Information Learning Theories, Warwick

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:04:35 GMT

This one-day course will provide all information specialists with the opportunity to explore and synthesise different theoretical perspectives and to formulate and articulate their own theory of career information learning.

Research Workshop, Warwick

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:42:39 GMT

A one-day introductory course focusing on research within career, placement and employability service contexts.

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) - "An attitude and methodology that leaves a trail of techniques", Leeds

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:43:34 GMT

A North East regional session to enjoy discovering and applying NLP techniques that will enhance your work with students.

Advice and Guidance Skills, Warwick

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:51:36 GMT

The course aims to provide and equip you with a framework of knowledge and skills (through theoretical and practical perspectives) in order to enable you to deliver advice and/or guidance to clients in the most effective and appropriate manner.

Careers in the NHS, Newcastle

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:52:06 GMT

This North East AGCAS regional training event will feature a range of speakers working in the NHS outside of medicine and dentistry, including healthcare science, management and the allied health professions.

Public Sector Graduate Recruitment and Sector Update, Cardiff

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:21:24 GMT

This is a South West AGCAS regional event providing an update on the effects of policy and economic change on graduate opportunity within the South West and Wales.

Guidance Skills (Advanced), Warwick

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:42:38 GMT

This course aims to expand the professional competence of experienced careers advisers by equipping them with the knowledge, structure and higher-level skills necessary to implement a counselling approach to guidance intervention.

Technology in careers - an update, Warwick

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:14:08 GMT

This one-day course is especially useful for those with responsibility for using technology within their service.

Challenges of Careers Work in HE, Warwick

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:11:48 GMT

This three-day residential course is a core module of the AGCAS/Warwick Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and MA in CEIGHE.

Disseminating the Latest Careers Research - A Focus on Measuring the Impact of Careers Services, Hull

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:03:33 GMT

This North East AGCAS regional training event will be an opportunity to catch up on the latest research in the field of careers with particular emphasis on how the impact of careers services is measured, both internally and externally.

Group Work, Warwick

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:09:37 GMT

This four-day residential course is intended for careers staff working, or planning to work, with students and other clients in groups and who wish to develop new approaches to its planning and delivery.

Challenges of Careers Work in HE, Warwick

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:21:52 GMT

This three-day residential course is intended for all careers service staff, whether new or experienced, who would like to explore the context in which they are working. This course may be particularly suitable for those moving into careers work in HE from other sectors. The course is part of the AGCAS/Warwick qualification module, but open to all.