Data Insight: Moving on: Who receives careers advice and guidance following compulsory education?

This Data Insight explores the factors that are associated with the receipt of careers advice and guidance among young adults in Wales.

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We explore the interactions that Careers Wales has with a cohort of Key Stage 4 (KS4) pupils during the two years following their completion of compulsory education. We find that determinants of Careers Wales interactions during Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) include attainment at GCSE and socio-economic background. Prior engagement with Careers Wales at KS4 is also demonstrated to increase the likelihood of receiving careers advice and guidance. This effect cannot be attributed to other characteristics of these young adults, highlighting the importance of establishing an early relationship with Careers Wales. 

What we found

We examined which personal, household and educational characteristics are associated with the likelihood of receiving support from Careers Wales among those aged 16–18. Multivariate techniques (logistic regression models) were used to identify the separate and additional effects of these characteristics on the likelihood that an individual within our KS4 cohort would receive an interaction with Careers Wales during the two academic years following the completion of Year 11. The results of our analysis are presented in Figure 1. Points to the right of the vertical line signify that the characteristic is associated with an increased likelihood of receiving a Careers Wales interaction after compulsory education, whilst those to the left signify a negative effect.

The analysis reveals that the following groups of pupils are more likely to receive the support of Careers Wales during the two years following their completion of compulsory education:

• those who were eligible for Free School Meals during KS4
• those who had received support from Careers Wales (advice or guidance) during KS4
• those with higher levels of Special Educational Needs during KS4, reflecting the statutory role that Careers Wales performs in support