The Role of Guidance in Supporting Learning

Achievement and Progression

Liz Thomson 3D Consultancy (UK) Limited

Eurovalidation Conference

Overview of Presentation

• What do we mean by guidance?• The Learning Journey• Why is guidance important?• The shape of guidance• The role and impact of guidance to the

accreditation process• Rural challenges• The impact of guidance

What do we mean by Guidance?

“In the context of lifelong learning, career guidance refers to a range of activities that enables citizens of any age and at any point in their lives to identify their capacities and interests; to make educational, training and occupational decisions; and to manage their career. Career guidance helps people to reflect on their ambitions, interests, qualifications and abilities. It helps them to understand the labour market and education systems, and to relate this to what they know about themselves. Comprehensive career guidance tries to teach people to plan and make decisions about work and learning. Career guidance makes information about the labour market and about educational opportunities more accessible by organising it, systematising it, and making it available when and where people need it.”

(Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the Gap. OECD 2004)

What do we mean by Guidance?

Guidance is not about telling people what to do: rather it is a process of finding and interpreting evidence, self exploration, planning and review. Above all it is a process of helping individuals to learn to be autonomous, to take control of their own decisions and make decisions wisely.

Guidance is

1. User – centeredness2. Confidentiality3. Impartiality4. Equality of opportunity5. Accessibility

Which uses the seven activities of guidance…

A process of clarifying options…

Informed by five principles…

A helping process in the personal, vocational, educational, welfare and / or health area

Stephen McNair: Putting Learners at the Centre

1. Informing2. Advising3. Counselling4. Assessing5. Enabling6. Advocating7. Feeding back

What do we mean by Guidance?

Differentiated levels of guidanceThree levels of guidance and support have been described in differentiated guidance services:

• Information – details of learning opportunities; accreditation and RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning); funding sources and state benefits ; childcare and signposting to other support services or specialist agencies

• Advice – helping clients to interpret information, review their circumstances and personal factors, and decide on the most suitable course of action

• Guidance – an in-depth process that assists clients with self-analysis, exploring a range of options, making decisions, setting goals and action planning and reviewing progress

The Learning Journey

Starting Point

Planning theItinerary

Making Decisions

Taking the Journey

Arriving at the Destination

• Reasons• Destination

• Options and choices• Checking details• Sources of information

• Costs• Modes of transport• Booking• Schedules

• Routes• Connections• Delays• Luggage• Breakdowns• Stopovers

Why is Guidance Important?Quality guidance is a key component of accreditation, education, training and employability strategies to :

Help people to overcome external or structural barriers to learning by:

• assisting them to find the right opportunity ;• unravelling the jargon and “information maze” associated with

different types of courses and qualifications ; • acting as an advocate for appropriate learning support;• helping individuals to clarify their goals and plan actins to achieve

them• providing information and support to access financial assistance and

childcare facilities

Why is Guidance Important?

Support individuals to address internal barriers that they face by:

• reassuring them that they can achieve and succeed ;• giving positive feedback about their skills and abilities ;• listening and empathising about their anxieties about

their abilities ;• building individual confidence and self-esteem by

enabling them to succeed• enabling progression through levels and types of

accredited and non accredited learning

The Shape of Guidance

When does guidance take place?

Within the context of lifelong learning, it is important to ensure that guidance is available at all stages of our lives and career development.In the learning cycle, guidance may be appropriate when an individual is:

• first contemplating learning or training and is seeking the most appropriate opportunity

• starting on a course or learning package from staff knowledgeable about particular courses and programmes

• during the course of study from tutorial staff , student counsellors or careers advisers

• on completing a course of learning or training to review what has been achieved and to set new goals.

The Shape of Guidance

How is guidance delivered?

• Logging in online, email, websites• Looking in publications, directories, guides• Walking in guidance centres, mobile

facilities, outreach centres• Booking in scheduled appointments• Phoning in helplines• Building in learning programmes, Personal

Development Plans

The Shape of Guidance

Who offers guidance?

• Guidance agencies – state-funded careers services, employment agencies

• Professionals in other fields - youth workers, community development workers, social workers, health professionals, teachers, tutors, work supervisers , vocational trainers

• Volunteers in the community – community based learning and development organisations

• Learning /training providers – tutors, lecturers, vocational trainers

Rural Challenges“There are other barriers to learning - disability, mental health problems, caring responsibilities, and access difficulties experienced by those living in rural and remote areas - which limit uptake of learning when experienced singly, but when combined with some of the other issues detailed here, makes learning less likely”.Scottish Executive (2003) Life through Learning through Life, p.29.

• Maintaining confidentiality• Identifying and contacting potential learners• Offering accessible and comprehensive guidance• Delivering the range of courses to meet needs• Funding and support

Qualifications and Accreditation

The aims of the SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) are to:

• assist people of all ages and circumstances to access appropriate education and training over their lifetime to fulfil their personal, social and economic potential

• enable employers, learners and the public in general to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other and how different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce.

Qualifications and Accreditation

Key Features of the SCQF:

• a non-regulatory Framework • designed to include all learning which is described in terms of

learning outcomes , provided there is a quality-assured assessment of learner achievement

• learning outcomes are defined as “statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to do t the end of a period of learning”

• now successfully established in schools, colleges, universities and other places of learning throughout

• there are 12 levels within the Framework which indicate the complexity of learning, and credit points which show the volume of learning undertaken to achieve the qualification.

Qualifications and Accreditation

SCQF describes the process as :

“…looking at a road map. You can see where you are now and the different routes you can follow – like the different routes of learning- to reach your destination” It also highlights that there is “the possibility of lots of horizontal as well as vertical routes to successful learning” .

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The types of experiences through which prior informal learning can be gained include:

• A particular piece of work, task or project undertaken at work, or through

community or voluntary work, or through independent learning

• The experience of doing a particular job (paid or voluntary), or performing a particular role, over a period a time

• ‘On-the -job’ training, or being mentored

• A non-credit-rated educational or training course, undertaken in a community or workplace setting

• The experience of training, teaching or mentoring others, either formally or informally.

The Role and Impact of Guidance to the Accreditation Process

The guidance component is seen as: • supporting easier access to accreditation and explaining the

process more • supporting transition from an informal to a formal learning context• portfolio-based, rather than exam-based, to suit the needs and

circumstances of adults • more flexible and less intimidating • builds confidence through a recognition of what has already been

achieved• mapping of an individual’s learning within the SCQF• planning individuals’ learning pathways• creating entry points to formal education • gathering appropriate evidence of competence for accreditation

purposes

Impact of this learner-driven approach in Scotland

There is growing evidence that the learner-driven approach and guidance support has contributed to:

• a much more self-sustaining effect• learners choosing to stay in learning longer • learners making relevant choices for them • improved student retention and achievement rates• progression and continued participation in learning

The impact of guidance on individuals,

communities and economic competitiveness • helping learners to overcome external and structural barriers to

learning

• supporting individuals to address internal barriers

• encouraging initial engagement in learning and continued progression

• explaining the process to assist individuals to understand the full range of qualifications and how they relate to each other

• supporting easier access to accreditation

• improved student retention and completion rates

The impact of guidance on individuals,

communities and economic competitiveness • more motivated and engaged learners

• improved health and well-being and associated health care cost savings.

• social cohesion through an increased sense of social responsibility and active citizenship

• contributing to geographical mobility in learning and employment

• socio-economic benefits of people achieving greater financial security through higher level jobs

• savings in state benefits as more people enter paid employment

Questions to Consider• What is being done at present or could be done to address the

barriers to participation in learning?

• What do you think are the advantages/issues of having a single qualifications’ framework like the SCQF? How does the SCQF compare with the processes and procedures for accreditation and progression in your country?

• There can be a range of stakeholders who contribute to delivering comprehensive guidance services. Which organisations can you identify in your country/local area are involved in or could be involved in offering formal or non-formal guidance?

• How can you measure the impact of guidance on individuals, communities and national economy?