About
Project aims
Talking jobs is a 'blended career learning' tool designed to support and enhance face to face work with clients and work related learning in the classroom, ICT suite or at home, and designed to help young people explore how others have come to make important life decisions. Young people at school and college especially need to know that their own choices need to be informed yet realistic, based on their potential but not postcode or background.Why was it built?
Social inequality and limited social mobility are significant issues for all societies, not least the UK. Many young people lack access to appropriate or sufficiently diverse role models and for some the social barriers are so strong they simply don't know they could lead better or just different lives to their parents or carers. The producer and those associated with the project believe this resource can be used to help young people form personal models of success in their own way and on their own terms.How does it work?
Talking Jobs has been designed as a guidance and careers teaching support tool that provide a useful snapshot of UK society that combines labour market information with insight and experience from a broad range of people. This resource is also intended as ‘sideways nudge’ or ‘reality check’ for young people to use before making important decisions about their lives. It is also about challenging stereotypes and respecting the opinions and values of those one might not ordinarily meet.All of the job-families are represented in this condensed cross section of society. Interviewees were selected on the grounds of being everyday heroes - people happy in their work and happy in their life choices. Many organisations were involved in their recruitment with the majority of interviewees being put forward by their peers or employers, and not self-selecting.
Impartial careers information
Delivering impartial labour market information is at the heart of the reforms coming through the careers service and has been a core principal of this resource since inception in 2007. This call for impartiality is supported by the Institute of Careers Guidance and the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning.Brief project history
Talking Jobs was soft-launched with partial content in November 2007 with full launch in April 2008. Over the next two years feedback was gathered from pupils, teachers, PSHE coordinators, IAG people, careers service providers, academics and QCG students, culminating in the relaunch of the site in February 2010. This consultation process is ongoing with a new iteration of the platform and new content modules to be released later this year (2011).How is it funded?
Initial development of this resource was been funded by the producer and supported by licence sales. Recently Aimhigher Sussex has supported a City College Brighton and Hove module as collaboration between this FE college and the producer. This college led project, with interviews directed by BTEC students, represents the first ‘Powered by Talking Jobs’ module and will be co-branded with the college. This collaborative/co-production model, supported by licence sales, is set to be repeated with other partners through the course of 2011 and 2012.Making less do more
Talking Jobs has always been about making a concise body of narrative materials help schools and careers professionals deliver meaningful work related learning. Given the economic backdrop this ethos now applies to all. It's definitely tough, but we can make it work if sufficient imagination is applied to the task. Click here to visit Tristram Hooley's blog and find out more about the thinking behind this resource.
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