Therefore providers will need to reassess their provision , ensuring that students who may have been particularly impacted by the pandemic are able to ‘ catch up ’, in terms of careers advice , HE visits etc . As School D stated : ‘ you don ’ t know what you don ’ t know ’. Evidence indicates that one of the most effective ways in which students can become engaged is through a multi-intervention programme ( Sandhu , Bowes , Hansel & Tazzyman , 2020 ), and that the evidence is especially strong that HE progression is higher in schools that deliver multi-intervention activities ( Patel & Bowes , 2021 ). Patel and Bowes ( 2021 ) suggest that engaging pupils in seven or eight sessions over a minimum of three hours in an academic year is particularly effective . This suggests that a holistic approach is needed for careers provision , with a clear programme of joined up activities . Providers might want to consider the suggestion from School C that schools could be provided with a ‘ menu ’ of provision , outlining what was being offered and to whom each activity was being targeted .
Learners are more able to relate to and be influenced by people who they see as ‘ like them ’ ( Sandhu et al . 2020 ), and the idea of engaging with ‘ aspirational and inspirational visitors ’ ( School A ) was most explicitly noted by School D . The school identified that in order for pupils to be able to relate to HE there was little benefit in talking to high achievers because :
‘ That ’ s not achievable by the majority of students , it ’ s good to have people come along who say I worked hard , I struggled , […] it ’ s much more realistic and helpful ’
‘ Sometimes a bit of humility is not a bad thing ’
They also linked this to the marketisation of HE and the corporate approach sometimes taken by universities , and provided an example of going to a UCAS convention where previously there may have been admissions tutors present :
‘ You ’ ve got […] 21 year old marketing people there and you do question the value of the actual event in many cases for students compared to going to a university open day ’
This issue appeared especially pertinent for School D given their rural location , their lack of proximity to HE providers , and issues pupils have with access to reliable technology at home . School A offered an alternative means of engaging with people who the pupils can relate to . They discussed that some members of staff had children at university and that provided an opportunity for these children who may have previously been a pupil at the
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