Scotland’s careers advice website My World of Work made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week, after a father said that it told his academically gifted daughter to consider a career as a chimney sweep.

The story, reported by TESS online this week, led to a flurry of comments from other people who have been given dubious careers advice over the years, ranging from the dyslexic pupil who was urged to be a librarian, to the neuroscientist who was told she was destined to be a bingo caller (see box, below).

However, figures obtained by TESS from the body responsible for delivering career guidance in schools, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), suggest that careers advice in the country is probably in better health than the latest story might indicate.

Despite concerns about today’s emphasis on providing faceless online advice, the number of careers advisers has actually increased by 25 per cent since 2013-14. The number of work coaches, who provide intensive support to the pupils who need it most, has more than doubled (see graphic, below).

The increase in staff follows an investment last year of £1.5 million by the government to extend careers advice beyond the traditional S4-6 age group.

As of this year, pupils have been entitled to group sessions with careers advisers as they make the transition from primary to secondary. And when pupils make their subject choices in S2 or S3, they will be offered a one-on-one interview with a careers adviser - as will their parents.

In addition, new digital resources have been developed to be used with P5-7 pupils.

However, the My World of Work website will remain a major part of the support on offer.

‘Invaluable’ guidance

Anne-Marie Haddow, a depute head at Trinity High in Renfrewshire - one of the 35 schools involved in piloting the revamped approach to careers guidance last year - questioned the matching of a pupil to such a “niche career” as chimney sweep.

Ms Haddow said: “It generates different career options based on the interests you put in but there are usually a variety given so it gives a career area or a field and then gives different examples of jobs within that field.”

However, while Ms Haddow defended the website, she stressed that it was just a starting point and face-to-face meetings with careers advisers were “invaluable”.

During the trials of the enhanced careers service at her school last year, around 45 pupils in S2 opted for an individual interview with a careers adviser - 40 per cent of the year group. And about 30 of them attended the meeting with their parents.

Ms Haddow said: “The website is a good starting point where pupils can improve their career management skills and get ideas, but it’s hard to say how well it is utilised. The face-to-face is invaluable though because it gives pupils more personal responses to their questions and there is that possibility for coaching and follow-up support which school-aged children need because they are not able to go out and do it entirely on their own.”

‘Now it’s about knowing who you are, what your strengths are and how you build on them for the future’

This year, Trinity High, which has a roll of 740 and serves a mixed catchment, will have a careers adviser present for four days of the week. Drop-ins for pupils are run by careers advisers every Thursday lunchtime.

James Russell, head of career management skills development and delivery at SDS, told TESS that modern careers advice was not about trying to match pupils to a specific job, but making sure they know what they like and what they are good at.

“Traditionally people have seen the process as about trying to get them to decide what they want to do,” he said. “Ultimately though, a lot of us never know what we want to do. So it’s about being able to adapt to the changing environment around us. Now it’s about knowing who you are, what your strengths are and how you build on them for the future.”

The changes to Scotland’s careers advice service have come about in response to the 2014 Wood report, which said there was “a strong case” to make advice available “significantly earlier than the present S4 onwards”.

As of this year, school inspectors will look at the quality of work experience and careers guidance when they inspect schools.

@Emma_Seith