Highlights
2010/11 has been a very busy and eventful year for Careers Wales. In addition to the huge numbers of people we have helped with career decisions, more than 276,000 interviews with clients this year, there are several other notable highlights. These include the introduction of a very exciting new online resource for those with Learning Difficulties, other online developments in partnership with the Welsh Assembly and the key role played by us in supporting the Welsh Assembly with the hugely successful Skills Cymru event held at the Millennium Stadium last September.
Strategy
During 2010/11 we have continued to provide high quality services to the satisfaction of the Welsh Government. Much of our work underpins current economic and social strategies. For example, the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) agenda is an important part of the Welsh Government’s overall approach to education. Improving Wales’ skill levels in these key areas has long been identified as a key driver for economic growth, increasing the number of small business start ups and entrepreneurs as well as tackling the overall skills gap in Wales. Careers Wales has fully embraced the importance of STEM subjects for the future growth of the Welsh economy and their importance for career choices. The stories featured in this report demonstrate the variety of ways Careers Wales is promoting the value and take up of STEM related subjects across Wales.
Through our Education Business Partnerships, we have facilitated a wide range of activities that help schools and colleges to work with employers and provide better focused and higher quality work related learning and experiences for young people, raising aspirations and challenging all forms of stereotyping.
Global Interest
Careers Wales continues to attract interest in its world class service provision from around the world from practitioners, researchers and technology providers. We have been working in conjunction with Northern Ireland Careers Service to provide them with access to our specially developed online resource 'My Future' which has been designed with the specific needs of users with learning difficulties. In 2010, Careers Wales Cardiff and Vale welcomed delegates from Budapest, Hungary for a three day visit.
Restructure
Moving forward into 2011/12 we have taken on board the recommendations of ‘Future Ambitions’ to streamline our service provision and we are currently undertaking a re-structuring exercise with the aim of delivering our services as a single organisation from April 2012. We have set up a new company ‘Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa’. Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa is firmly committed to delivering excellent careers advice and guidance services under the familiar Careers Wales banner and will continue to prioritise the delivery of its service to people of all ages and backgrounds from across Wales.
Future Fit
Assisting the new Welsh Government with the delivery of its policies in the areas of NEETs, adult education and tackling the skills gap will remain a high priority for our newly re-structured organisation (Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa). We already have a growing database of young people who are engaged with the education system and we are working with partners across Wales to manage a database of young people who could be considered NEET.
Careers Wales is keen to embrace new technologies and methods of communication. During 2010/11, we have been piloting the use of Social Media in two of our regions to raise awareness of our services and engage with clients. This has included developing a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a Careers Wales West blog. Meanwhile, Careers Wales North West has used Facebook to successfully engage with NEETS clients. A wider strategy is now being developed which will pilot the use of Social Media across the whole of our service provision in Wales as part of our broader communications plan and differentiated services menu.
Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa will continue to support people of all ages across Wales to encourage them to be ambitious about their careers and personal goals. We are proud of our free, bilingual and impartial careers services.
Our teams of advisers will also continue to work with young people and adults who have additional learning needs or learning difficulties in addition to working closely with staff who have been made redundant, both from the public and private sectors.
Our staff remain our most valued resource whether they are working with clients or in the back office functions and we provide continuous professional development to ensure they are equipped with the skills and expertise required to support our work.
I am most grateful to our Directors in all the Careers Wales companies for their contributions and hard work to help us to take forward our ambitious plans and bring together all seven careers companies in Wales. I also want to thank Phil Westwood who on 1 April 2012 will become the first Chairman of the all Wales careers service, provided by Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa. Our vision is to be the acknowledged leading provider of all age careers guidance services in Wales and we will be working very hard to achieve this.
Trina Neilson
Chief Executive
Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa