Evaluating your careers program

When and how?

Evaluation is a constant and cyclical process; feedback from activities, experiences, and stakeholder knowledge should inform decision making for the next time around. Gatsby Benchmark one requires the effectiveness is evaluated annually with consideration given to all stakeholder groups:

Students – Future Skills Questionnaire

While there are numerous ways to evaluate student experiences, the Careers Hub recommends embedding the Future Skills Questionnaire (found within Compass+) into your evaluation plans. Your EC will be more than happy to assist in providing more information.

Teachers, Employers, Parents/Carers – surveys

Qualitative feedback can be gathered form stakeholders at all touch points, and while valuable formalising this or getting all voices heard can be a challenge. The simplest way to assess the effectiveness of the careers programme with these groups is to survey as many as possible in a way that provides digestible data. Your EC can provide an electronic link for a survey specific to each of your stakeholder groups, which will also generate a dashboard for easy analysis after the surveys have taken place.

Hosting a stakeholder voice session

Another option is to invite a cross-section of all your stakeholders to sit around the same table and discuss the strengths & opportunities within the careers programme. This gives a chance for all voices to be heard, and also to hear from others, in a focussed way that can both celebrate what is working well, and unearth ideas that could address barriers and enhance the programme. Again, your EC is on hand to help plan and facilitate a stakeholder voice session.

Careers Impact System

Both the CEC and Careers Hub recommend using the Careers Impact system annually for robust and effective evaluation of your careers programme. It examines your current practices and encourages institutions to evolve their programme into an embedded culture within education.

The Careers Impact System systematically drives change and continuous improvement in the quality of careers education, raising standards and improving outcomes in a way that involves everyone. It is a staged, step-by-step model that allows

Internal Leadership Review

This first step is a digital tool (within Compass) undertaken within your school or college, bringing together your key colleagues to examine current performance, what maturity looks like, and how best to achieve agreed goals.

Peer-to-peer Reviews

Following the completion of your Internal Leadership Review, you may wish to attend a Peer-to-peer review. These are organised and facilitated by the Careers Hub, involving Careers Leaders and Senior Leaders from the region coming together in a non-judgemental environment to discuss and share both vest practice and barriers to improvement. Speak to your Enterprise Coordinator to discuss participating in a Peer-to-peer review.

Expert and National System Reviews

Want to go the extra mile, explore system-wide themes, and feed into the continuous improvement of the Careers Impact System itself? CEC administer expert and national system reviews of the peer-to-peer process. Your Enterprise Coordinator can put you in touch with CEC if you’d wish to explore this.