Partnership, capital formation and equality and diversity: learning from five case studies

Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) should challenge stereotypes, promote equality of opportunity and celebrate diversity (DCSF, 2008). Its delivery requires a range of people, organisations and services that bring together their services and networks to focus on individual needs. The co-ordination of these multiple agencies is referred to in this paper as partnership working. Together, these elements of firstly careers work, secondly equality and diversity, and thirdly partnership working form the substance of this paper. In the spring of 2010 the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) with the National Institute for Social and Economic Research (NIESR) conducted fieldwork among case study projects. They were identified by the sector as representing examples of good and innovative practice that focussed on the range of equality and diversity issues in the delivery of CEIAG to young people. This was part of a project commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC, 2011). These case studies were chosen to reflect the various equality strands, covering England, Scotland and Wales and were not necessarily ‘CEIAG projects’, rather they recognise that careers work is a part of young people’s overall needs and thus CEIAG becomes part of the overall intervention strategy. Using these case studies the paper explores the idea that effective working has to be based on the creation or utilisation of aspects of local capital (Putnam, 2000; Kintrea et al, 2008); namely political, financial, organisational and social capital. The case studies all demonstrated that a range of conditional factors needed to be in place for projects to develop and thrive. The paper introduces the various well-rehearsed factors which shape effective partnership working (Hutchinson and Campbell, 1998; Connexions, 2003; Ford, 2005; LSIS, 2009) before going on to observe some of the processes that the case studies demonstrated in terms of transformational behaviours, personalisation and challenge. It concludes that the concept of capital formation with its focus on connections, reciprocity and trust helps to illuminate some of the motivators and drivers of partnership working.

Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) should challenge stereotypes, promote equality of opportunity and celebrate diversity (DCSF, 2008). Its delivery requires a range of people, organisations and services that bring together their services and networks to focus on individual needs. The co-ordination of these multiple agencies is referred to in this paper as partnership working. Together, these elements of firstly careers work, secondly equality and diversity, and thirdly partnership working form the substance of this paper.
In the spring of 2010 the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) with the National Institute for Social and Economic Research (NIESR) conducted fieldwork among case study projects. They were identified by the sector as representing examples of good and innovative practice that focussed on the range of equality and diversity issues in the delivery of CEIAG to young people. This was part of a project commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC, 2011). These case studies were chosen to reflect the various equality strands, covering England, Scotland and Wales and were not necessarily ‘CEIAG projects’, rather they recognise that careers work is a part of young people’s overall needs and thus CEIAG becomes part of the overall intervention strategy.
Using these case studies the paper explores the idea that effective working has to be based on the creation or utilisation of aspects of local capital (Putnam, 2000; Kintrea et al, 2008); namely political, financial, organisational and social capital. The case studies all demonstrated that a range of conditional factors needed to be in place for projects to develop and thrive. The paper introduces the various well-rehearsed factors which shape effective partnership working (Hutchinson and Campbell, 1998; Connexions, 2003; Ford, 2005; LSIS, 2009) before going on to observe some of the processes that the case studies demonstrated in terms of transformational behaviours, personalisation and challenge. It concludes that the concept of capital formation with its focus on connections, reciprocity and trust helps to illuminate some of the motivators and drivers of partnership working.