On yesterdays 'You and Yours' programme on BBC Radio 4, the programme began a series of interviews looking at peoples experiences of Career Guidance, building up to a short debate on the subject which will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 26th July.
We would urge all members to listen and let us know your thoughts on what is said and contribute individually to the station if you feel the need to. ACEG President Kath Wright will be on the programme representing the guidance community.
The full transcript of yesterdays interview is below
"Kevin Moseley has interviewed a series of people who have had mixed experience of Careers Advice, today we start with Professor Kiran Trehan, Head of Business School at UCE who is a second generation Indian bought up in the East End of London and who was advised to take elocution lessons if she wanted to go to university.
"My first experience of a Careers Services were very much to stifle ones aspirations, particularly living in the cultural context that I came from and my own cultural background, so I guess my first experience wasn't a very positive one.
What did they actually say to you
Effectively that going to University wasn't really an option and had I considered working in other areas of interest which were very much centred around retail or general admin jobs. My aspirations were wanting to go to university but I think a lot had to do with the area I was brought up and kids around Upton Park/Forest Gate werent really perceived as academic material. Had I listened to that and not had my own single minded determination I guess it would not have happened [going to university].
Were they saying go and work in a restaurant or a Sari shop?
I think it was just them having low expectations of children that came from working class backgrounds and in addition to that were from ethnic minority communities.
Do you think that Careers Advice as a whole is quite difficult to pull off successfully?
I wouldn't want to leave the impression that Careers Advisers as individuals or the service as a whole was completely inadequate, I think they were doing a role and they had a purpose, but I think it is really important for Careers Advisers to think about the information and knowledge they portray because it does have long-term implications.
How would you like to see Careers Advice conducted? With a one-to-one interview to decide the rest of your life?
I think it needs to be much more creative and I think if Careers Advice was done in a much more experiential way, through maybe continuous dialogue at an early stage rather than during the process, I think if it was integrated into schools then followed through into universities because otherwise what you do is get very mainstream advice and round the traditional subject areas." | 
