Moving beyond ‘what works’: Using the evidence base in lifelong guidance to inform policy making

This chapter examines the evidence base in career guidance. It argues that such evidence should be a critical part of policy making in the field. Career guidance has a strong relevance to a range of policy agendas associated with the education system, the labour market and with wider social policies. The paper sets out a hierarchical model of impacts which it defines as investment, take-up, reaction, learning, behaviour, results and return on investment. Policy makers should seek to discover whether career guidance interventions are making impacts at each of these levels. The chapter argues that the evidence base for career guidance uses a wide range of methods, that it is multi-disciplinary and international and that it provides evidence of all of the levels of impact outlined. It also notes that career guidance is a lifelong activity and that evidence exists to support its utilisation at all life stages (although the depth of this evidence varies across life stages). Finally the paper argues that the evidence base highlights a number of lessons for policy makers as follows. Career guidance should: (1) be lifelong and progressive; (2) be connected to wider experience; (3) recognise the diversity of individuals and their needs; (4) involve employers and working people, and providing active experiences of workplaces; (5) be understood as not one intervention, but many; (6) develop career management skills; (7) be holistic and well-integrated into other services; (8) ensuring professionalism; (9) make use of career information; and (10) assuring quality and evaluate provision.