What's on and When

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The National Career Guidance Show gave visitors access to the most up-to-date information as well as the opportunity to network and share best practice with colleagues from across the UK. 

Over 100 organisations exhibited at The National Career Guidance Show and visitors made vital contacts that will benefit their professional careers and those they advise. The organisations attending were committed to providing essential career information, updating visitors with the latest resources and developments, enabling visitors to provide services that were genuinely helpful and relevant.

The National Career Guidance Show showcased over 30 seminars in two 150 seater seminar spaces sponsored by Languages Work.

The groundbreaking seminar programme was popular and ran on a first come, first served basis covering relevant aspects of career guidance, offering the latest information in fun and informative sessions. Ideal for anyone that needed insight into the latest trends or seeking some refreshing inspiration, these popular talks were free to attend and were both innovative and entertaining.

If you attended any of the seminars, you can receive a certificate from the Institute of Career Guidance recording your attendance for CPD purposes. If you were unable to complete the seminar attendance form available from the seminar reception please email info@nationalcareerguidanceshow.co.uk.

Wednesday 3 March

11.15am
OCR
OCR Nationals: A Proven Pathway To Individual Achievement
OCR Nationals is a unique suite of KS3 – KS5 qualifications which support a practical, motivating approach for learners of all abilities and provide transferable skills relevant to FE, HE and the workplace. They drive up achievement as individuals are able to pursue their career aspirations and so push themselves harder to gain their qualification and better grades. Discover the phenomenon of the OCR Nationals through a selection of uplifting and thought-provoking case studies, presented by Principal Moderators, which tell the story of how this engaging and challenging skills-assessed suite of courses became one of the fastest growing qualifications in the UK today.

12.00pm
Claire Nix, VT Group and Taj Bhutta, Institute of Physics
STEM Subjects And Careers
This keynote will explore the background to the DCSF funded campaign to re-ignite interest in STEM courses and careers, case studies, good practice and resources to support teachers and career practitioners will be highlighted.

1.00pm
Liz Bradley, University of Cumbria
Who Do You Think You Are?
Career professionals deliver information, advice and guidance in diverse settings and client backgrounds are more diverse than ever, with migrating populations and large international student populations. The session aims to give some insight into the taken for granted attitudes, assumptions and prejudices, through narratives of practitioners. In addition the session aims to give practitioners tools to help them unearth their taken for granted practices and hence gain a better understanding of both their own and their client’s world-views.

1.45pm
iCeGS, University of Derby
Impartiality: Delivering The New Statutory Requirements
The Education and Skills Act 2008 requires schools to deliver impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance. This workshop will examine the implications of this new requirement and explore the latest statutory guidance supporting this legislation. There will be an opportunity to share good practice around the methods schools and learning consortia are adopting to ensure delivery.

2.30pm
Careers Writers' Association
Getting It Write - How To Create Engaging And Authoritative Careers Information
The seminar will look at the techniques and approaches professional careers writers use to create engaging and authoritative careers information. It will cover topics such as putting the reader first, the use of original sources and the ethics of using case studies. The Careers Writers' Association works to achieve high standards of careers writing and to provide a network for members to exchange information and experience. Our members are authors, writers and journalists, many of whom are established contributors to Prospects, Jobs4U and the national press.

3.15pm
Anthony Barnes, CEIAG Consultant, VT Group
Learning Object Repositories And Portals
The digital competence of young people in informal and social learning environments is often amazing; but formal careers education and IAG hardly exploits their skills at all. VT Group will demonstrate CareersEtc, their new award-winning careers portal, which aims to bridge this gap; and there will be an opportunity to discuss wider issues relating to harnessing Web 2.0 technologies in CEIAG.

4.00pm
fdf (Foundation Degree Forward)
Advising On HE - Getting It Right For Working Adults
Raising the skills of the current workforce is key to the UK’s economic future, but do working adults get the right advice about higher level training and education? Do advisers know the potential routes through higher education that can sustain jobs and support career development? The choices are complex and depend on what individuals need and what support they can get from employers.

This seminar looks at the advice and guidance needs of working adults and introduces a range of resources produced by fdf to support advisers in helping their working clients informed choices and seek employer support.

Thursday 4 March
Seminar Theatre 1

10.30am
AQR Ltd
Innovations In Careers Guidance - Mental Toughness And Its Central Role In Employability
Mental toughness is the quality which determines how individuals deal with stressors, pressure and challenge … irrespective of prevailing circumstances. This is at the heart of career guidance. Research under the expert guidance of Dr Peter Clough, Head of Psychology at Hull University has defined mental toughness, enabled with AQR Ltd development of a unique valid and reliable measure – MTQ48 – and a development programme which produces real results. The seminar will describe mental toughness and will illustrate this with evidence of the link with employability, aspirations, performance and positive behaviours.

All attendees will be provided with the opportunity to complete a MTQ48 measure FOC.

11.15am
David Smale, Learner Service Director, National Apprenticeship Service
Apprenticeships As The Route To A Successful Career

Apprenticeships bring considerable value to organisations, employers, individuals and the economy. They provide a highly skilled workforce, boost productivity and staff retention and help businesses secure a supply of people with the skills and qualities they need and which were often not available on the external job market.

This seminar will provide an opportunity to learn more about the role of the National Apprenticeship Service, explore the benefits of Apprenticeships, progression routes into and out of Apprenticeships and how to engage with the Apprenticeships agenda.

12.00pm
Michael Spanyne, Focus LMI
The Impact Of An Ageing Workforce On Job Opportunities For Young People
The current economic situation has meant that more adults are staying on in the labour market for longer before retiring. This situation not only contributes to an ageing workforce but has implications for job openings at entry level for young people. This seminar examines what the implications are.

1.00pm
ICeGS, University of Derby
Why Guidance Professionals Should Be Blogging, Tweeting And Networking Online
There has been a huge amount of coverage of blogging and other web 2.0 services. Should guidance professionals care about Twitter or is it just a passing fad? Can these technologies be utilised for the provision of e-guidance or are they best kept for social uses? This workshop will explore how Web 2.0 might be of use to the guidance professional, bust some jargon and explore some examples of how it has been used. The workshop is not selling any products and will highlight a range of useful technologies that can be used for free.

1.45pm
Languages Work
Career Paths With Languages
What is the jobs market for people with language skills? Is English the international language of business? What jobs do specialist linguists do, and what are the opportunities for combining languages with other skills? This interactive session will answer these and other questions, and show careers advisers where they can find reliable up to date information on career paths with languages in this country and abroad.

2.30pm 
The Careers Group, University of London
Graduate Destinations: Demystifying Measures Of Graduate Employability
One of the key measures for assessing the contribution of university courses to graduate employability is the annual Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Anne-Marie Martin, Director of The Careers Group, University of London and President Elect of AGCAS demystifies DLHE, its impact on policy and decision making and the use of DLHE data in broadsheet league tables, careers information and guidance and student career choice. She also introduces Destinations Interactive, a new tool from The Careers Group which is quickly gaining an enthusiastic and growing user group. This provides a sophisticated means of exploring and analysing Destinations Data for careers professionals, academics and students.

3.15pm
E-Career Guidance.com Ltd
Evidence On The Positive Impact Of Psychometric Career Assessment In Career Guidance
This seminar will examine how best to employ psychometric assessments as part of the career coaching process. Demonstrating how optimal and targeted use of psychometrics can facilitate more effective communication and improved interaction with clients based on the insights which emerge. Access to accurate and comprehensive information on an individual will accelerate, underpin and support the work of career coaches. Using a combination of psychometric assessments across key dimensions will help clients achieve career clarity, identify suitable career opportunities and empower people to make confident and informed career decisions.

Thursday 4 March
Seminar Theatre 2

10.30am
Association for Careers Education and Guidance
Careers Education – Making The Most Of Career Guidance
The recent White Paper, Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future proposes a Pupil Guarantee that includes: all secondary school pupils have access to high-quality careers education and information, advice and guidance so that they can make informed choices about learning, work and lifestyles and are well supported during transitions This seminar will explore how careers education is vital in preparing young people to make the most of high-quality career guidance and will outline recent changes to the secondary curriculum and their effect on delivery and quality of careers education in schools.

11.15am
Connect South West Ltd
CEG, LMI And Statutory Guidance - How To Make The Pieces Fit
This seminar will draw on the new DCSF documents Statutory Guidance: Impartial Careers Education and Quality, Choice & Aspiration to demonstrate how the key theme of labour market information can be practically incorporated into your careers education lessons and careers guidance. Exploring the challenges of sourcing high quality LMI and how to build local networks to support the LMI agenda.

12.00pm
British National Space Centre
Space: The Next Generation - Careers In Space – Fantasy Or Reality
This seminar will provide you with an overview of the range of careers in the space industry. Career areas covered will include astronomy, space science engineering, astronaut, satellite manufacturing, space law, space insurance, science communication, and earth observation amongst others.

The seminar will also provide ideas and inspiration on how to interest students in science, technology engineering and mathematics. The seminar will showcase the out-of-this world programmes that won the 2009 National Careers Award with a few surprises

1.00pm 
BIS Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Implications Of Reforms To Information, Advice And Guidance.

1.45pm
OCR and ICG - teaming up at the NCGS
Leading awarding body OCR and the voice of careers guidance professionals, the Institute of Career Guidance (ICG), are teaming up at the first ever NCGS to explore the importance of providing a dynamic qualifications landscape for learners, universities and business.

Delivering a collaborative seminar, Chief Executive of OCR Greg Watson and ICG Policy and Development Manager Pauline Tait, will consider the importance of choice, recognising that all learners are different, and that effective advice and guidance are essential in ensuring access to a range of educational pathways.

2.30pm
VT Lifeskills, part of the VT Group
PathfinderLive - On-line Guidance For All Ages
PathfinderLive is a sophisticated online psychometric assessment tool that matches a user’s interests, skills and work style preferences to a comprehensive UK job and HE database. This information can be accessed independently. It is unique, in that it is the only program that is suitable for young people (12 to 18), and adults, whether they are in education training or seeking employment. It is an essential tool for those delivering and supporting careers education, information and guidance.

3.15pm
iCeGS, University of Derby
What Do Pupils Think About STEM Careers?
What do Key Stage 3 pupils think about studying STEM subjects? And what do they think about working in STEM related careers? Over 4,000 Key Stage 3 pupils have responded to an attitude questionnaire that asks these and more questions, as part of a longitudinal project for DCSF on curriculum interventions, being conducted by iCeGS with CEI at the University of Warwick. This seminar will present findings from the research and consider the dilemmas and challenges which arise for career professionals and their colleagues working in schools.


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