Major review of career guidance in schools and colleges announced

Career guidance in second and third-level institutions is to be reviewed by the Department of Education, the Minister has announced.

Secondary schools, training courses and universities are all to be included in the review. Richard Bruton wants to "ensure we are providing a high quality, relevant career guidance support service to all students from post-primary up to further and higher education." The review is part of the department's Action Plan for Education, which aims to make the Irish system the best in Europe. A survey of secondary school leavers in 2017 found that 44 per cent were unhappy with the level of career guidance available to them, reports the Irish Times.

"I want to ensure that there are many pathways for people to achieve their ambitions through our education and training system, and relevant, comprehensive career guidance is important to guiding people through these pathways," Minister Bruton said.

"I look forward to seeing the outcomes from this review, which is a priority if we are to make further progress in addressing the skills needs of individuals, enterprise and the economy."

One of the aspects of career guidance the steering group carrying out the review will look at is how and why students make their career choices. A report is due this summer.