IER News & blogs
Research on lifelong guidance policy and practice in the EU just published
Lifelong guidance policies and practices are viewed as crucial parts of current EU policy initiatives around validation of learning and the Pillar of Social Rights.
The aim of the research, undertaken by Dr Sally-Anne Barnes together with colleagues at the IER and the Finnish Institute for Educational Research at the University of Jyväskylä, was to examine lifelong guidance policies and practices and to provide an evidence base for priority-setting, as well as supporting dialogue with stakeholders on lifelong guidance and, more widely, skills strategies.
The final presents findings from the research identifying 11 key features of lifelong guidance systems in the EU, lifelong guidance actors and innovations in practice. It concludes with some recommendations for the Commission and those in working in the careers field. Read the press release here.
Jenny Bimrose received the Rodney Cox Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Jenny Bimrose was awarded the Rodney Cox Lifetime Achievement Award at the CDI’s ‘UK Career Development Awards’ held on 11 March. The presentation was made by Dave Cordle, the CDI president, on behalf of the CDI’s board of directors.
The award is in recognition of Jenny’s sustained and significant contribution to the careers sector in which she has worked in for over 40 years. Jenny recently retired from IER, but has continued her research in the careers field. The award was sponsored by C&K Careers.
While Jenny was unable to attend the official award ceremony because of self-isolation, she is now holding the CDI Award in her hands.
You can read more on Jenny’s career and her recent publications in this University of ÌÇÐÄTV press release.
The role of parents in providing careers guidance and how they can be supported - new evidence
It is a widely accepted notion that involving parents in careers education and guidance (CEG) is highly desirable. Although parents and carers undoubtedly influence the career development of young people in their care, with a range of consequences, robust evidence of what, when and how parental behaviours constructively support their children’s learning about career progression remains elusive.
Sally-Anne Barnes, with Jenny Bimrose, Alan Brown and John Gough, have been undertaking an international evidence review to understand how parents and carers can be better supported by schools and colleges to feel more informed and confident in how they support education and career choices. This has been undertaken with the support of the Gatsby Foundation and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. This study has produced a wealth of experiential evidence on the engagement of parents, as well as an overview of what is happening in practice.
The evidence report has now been published. Sign up to find out more or join an upcoming webinar. Read the press release here.
The role of parents in providing careers guidance and how they can be supported
The notion that involving parents in careers education and guidance (CEG) is highly desirable is neither new nor innovative. Although parents undoubtedly have the potential to influence the career development of young people in their care, both positively and negatively, robust evidence of what, when and how parental behaviours constructively support their children’s learning about career progression remains inconclusive and elusive.
Sally-Anne Barnes, with Jenny Bimrose, Alan Brown and John Gough, have been undertaking research to understand how parents and carers can be better supported by schools and colleges to feel more informed and confident about the careers support and advice they give. This has been undertaken with the support of the Gatsby Foundation and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. This study has produced a wealth of experiential evidence on the engagement of parents , as well as an overview of what is happening in practice. A recent event held in London to share findings and interesting practice was attended by participants from across the UK. An evidence report will be published shortly along with a practice report. Sign up to find out more or join an upcoming webinar here.
Jordan British Council and AQACHEI visit IER
IER welcomed members of the Jordan British Council, the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutes and the higher education sector (AQACHEI) in October 2019. The delegation was comprised of key members responsible for the implementation of the Jordan National Qualification Framework.
They came to find out more about and how it is supporting careers education and guidance within the education sector.
The event was organised by Lisa Collett from Cotswold Research who has been managing the Action Learning Forum project in Jordan.