'Old' advice on careers hampers job-seekers

CAREERS advisers are out of touch and hampering job-seekers' efforts, it has been claimed, as it emerged Scotland's jobs advice service is to be updated.

Tanya de Grunwald, author of job-hunting book, Dude Where's My Career?, said current advice offered is outdated and unsuitable during the recession.

Careers Scotland, the national jobs advice service, admitted it was changing the way it operated after a year-long review.

Ms de Grunwald said: "I've been campaigning on this for ages. There seems to be a silence on this issue.

"Careers advisers need to admit what they are doing isn't really working."

Advisers were not well-versed in modern trades or booming industries such as digital media, she claimed.

And they adopted an old-fashioned attitude which focused on the recruitment schemes of large corporations and recruitment fairs which smaller firms could not afford to participate in.

She said: "The world of work is presented as a static place where you just choose where you go.

"However, any of us who have been working know, from the last couple of years particularly, that it just doesn't work that way.

"It is changing at such a rapid pace. And you have to choose a growth area rather than a declining industry, which isn't really coming across."

Careers advisers have been operating in the same way for many years, she said, and often had the attitude "this is the way we've always done it".

She said: "Graduates get this idea there is only a narrow bunch of jobs available and are not being told by careers advisers how many different options they have.

"You get all the graduates going for the same bunch of graduate schemes and if they don't get on there, they think their life is over.

"What graduates are saying is that's not working and we need to be listening to them."

Statistics published last month showed the number of Scottish students achieving graduate-level jobs within six months of completing their course had dropped from 70.3 per cent to 68.7 per cent.

The statistics also showed the number qualifying rose to a record high of 83,335 in 2007-8, and with record university entry this year, and recession, the fight for jobs is likely to get tougher.

Scottish careers service, Careers Scotland, admitted their skills needed updated.

Danny Logue, operations director of Skills Development Scotland, which runs Careers Scotland, said the service had to respond to the needs of young people and reflect the changing economy and job markets.

He said: "Over the last year we have been working hard to get a deeper understanding of the needs and aspirations of individuals and employers to ensure we offer relevant and high quality experiences.

"As a result of this we are currently developing a refreshed range of services that will help the people of Scotland put their strengths to work."

FUTURE LEG UP

A GOVERNMENT report has revealed the jobs future workers should be preparing for.

The Shape of Jobs to Come report suggests body-parts manufacturer, space pilot or insect-based-foods manufacturer would all be accepted occupations.

Researchers said the body-parts manufacturers could be in demand by football clubs that spend large sums on players, to provide "a couple of spare legs".