Careers adviser/personal adviser
A careers adviser/personal adviser provides information, advice and guidance to help people make realistic choices about education, training and work.
In England the usual entry point is as a personal adviser (PA) within Connexions , funded by local authority children's trusts. However, there may be some opportunities to work as a careers adviser within a further education/college establishment. PAs work specifically with young people aged 13-19, or 24 for those with learning difficulties or disabilities. In addition to careers advice, PAs offer personal development support. This may include helping young people through challenging issues related to housing, relationships, health, money, drug and substance misuse, for example, acting as an advocate and/or facilitating access to more specialist support agencies and professionals.
The work of personal advisers (PAs) varies according to how their employing Connexions Service is structured. Most have a mixed caseload of education and community work. This will include young people who are still at school or college and those Not in Education, Employment or Education (NEET), which is a key priority group for Connexions. Some services may have advisers who work solely with this NEET caseload; while other services may also have Intensive PAs, who work with a smaller caseload of young people who need more frequent, intensive support.
Tasks typically involve:
Although this area of work is open to all graduates and Diplomates, a degree or HND/foundation degree in a sociological, educational, or health related topic would be useful. The following subjects may therefore be useful.
Foundation degrees in working with young people and young people’s services are now available, specifically with potential personal advisers and youth workers in mind. More details are available from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) .
Entry is possible as a trainee personal adviser (PA) without a degree or HND/foundation degree, if you have NVQ level 3 qualifications. Relevant work experience with young people is essential. It is possible to take a position as an employment training adviser or Connexions Assistant, and then work your way up to trainee PA.
Although postgraduate qualifications are not necessary for entry, the QCG (qualification in careers guidance) and other qualifications in social work or youth work can reduce the training needed for full qualification. The QCG is available full time, part time and through distance learning and the vast majority of people who take it go on to employment in careers work, mainly as PAs. Most QCG students are self-funded but some take out Professional and Career Development Loans , and some are sponsored by Connexions or other careers companies. Sponsored places are also occasionally available through the Department for Education . Individual course providers will provide more details. Students studying in Scotland may be eligible for an award from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) .
Experience of working with young people, either on a paid or voluntary basis, is necessary to apply for a position as a trainee PA and is strongly recommended for entry to the QCG.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
All applicants for PA posts need an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. A driving licence is usually required. In some settings, such as rural outreach, you may need your own transport.
The Every Child Matters government initiative means that careers advisers/personal advisers are likely to continue to be in demand in a range of roles.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Training varies according to qualifications and experience on entry and is decided by each Connexions Service or local authority partnership.
Each careers partnership decides its own mandatory training for new entrants, which is likely to include data protection, child protection, equality and diversity, dealing with difficult clients and any other training requested by the overseeing local authority.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is expected and careers partnerships offer seminars and workshops in-house and externally, often in conjunction with other agencies.
From a qualified personal adviser (PA) post, it may be possible to move into a lead or supervisory role, involving acting as a mentor to other PAs, deciding on caseloads and conducting annual reviews. This in turn, could lead to a team leader or manager role and responsibility for managing a Connexions /careers centre, or team of advisers. Alternatively, there is the option to specialise in such areas as special needs or working with ethnic minorities or travellers. You could also become a teenage parent adviser, or an intensive PA with a smaller caseload of young people who need more in-depth help.
After a number of years' experience it may be possible to move into senior management roles, although in some areas these senior roles will mean a transition to a local authority department. Movement into management positions may require relocation to a different town, city or region.
It is possible to progress to different areas of careers work, including work with adults for organisations such as Next Step , or in independent schools for the Independent Schools Careers Organisation (ISCO) . Some PAs progress on to work in the further education or higher education sectors, although competition for such progression can be fierce. It is also possible to move into related careers such as youth and community work, health and social care, counselling and employment services.
Career development can be enhanced by keeping up to date with changes in policies and new initiatives. This may be achieved by reading relevant journals, magazines and reports and attending conferences.
From April 2008, Connexions ceased to operate as a national service. Personal advisers (PAs) are now employed directly by local authorities. Children's trusts, incorporating Children and Young People’s Services, have been established in each local authority area and the funding that went to each of the Connexions partnerships now goes directly to local authority departments, which have been given responsibility to plan and commission integrated youth services. Some local authorities have taken the Connexions service in house as a part of a broader children and young persons service, whilst in others the Connexions service structure remains, but is now delivered under contract to the local authority. Local authority delivery of Connexions will be under review in 2011 and so in some areas these are seen as interim measures, with some uncertainty as to how the PA role will change in the future. However, it is anticipated that the role will involve working more closely with or within youth services, and involve more work supporting young people with their personal development, whilst speculation remains as to whether the careers adviser role will become the responsibility of schools to ‘buy in’ under a separate budget. More details on these changes can be found in the New Arrangements for Connexions/Careers Services for young people in England report.
PAs may be employed to work in one main location or a variety of locations. For example, they may work in careers or Connexions centres, which are often based in high street locations. Some PAs work as part of an outreach service and work in a number of locations in the community. Others are based in, and employed by, schools or further education colleges.
Connexions Direct also employs advisers to advise and support young people over the phone and online.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland careers advisers work for all-age guidance services. See Careers Scotland , Careers Wales and Careers Service Northern Ireland for more information.
Further education and sixth form colleges often employ their own careers advisers as staff members.
With experience it may be possible to work for the Independent Schools Careers Organisation (ISCO) , which provides a careers service predominantly for 14-19 year olds in independent schools.
Recruitment agencies rarely handle vacancies.
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