A team of researchers at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) is looking at the impact that Information Advice and Guidance  (IAG) has on the educational and career decisions of teenagers to see if more can be done to help young people make the right choices about their future.

The team will look at the effect of IAG on young people’s attitudes and aspirations, their GCSE results and what they go on to do at 16-17 and 17-18. The research will also look at changes or drop-outs from courses.

The research is being carried out for the Department of Schools, Families and Children (DCSF) and will focus principally on the IAG provided by the Government’s Connexions service and teachers. It will also, however, look at the advice and guidance being provided by family members.

Project manager, Cheti Nicoletti said: ‘This type of advice could be essential in helping young people to make the best decisions about their future and minimize the costs associated with uninformed and unsuccessful choices. It could also play a significant role in improving their skills and decreasing their risk of unemployment but we need to understand better what works best when.’

The researchers, who will use information collected by the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England, (LSYPE) hope to:

• identify what determines educational and career destinations for young people after 16
• distinguish between different sources of Information, Advice and Guidance
• investigate whether a larger amount and higher quality of IAG lead to better outcomes, and whether early rather than a late IAG provision increases its positive effect
• evaluate the value of IAG for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, for whom the provision of IAG could be especially effective in reducing ill-informed post-16 decisions
• assess whether an increase in IAG provided by Connexions and schools also helps to increase parents’ involvement in their children’s school decisions

The team expects to produce a report for the DCSF by March 2010.