The Human Touch: Why Careers Guidance Must Remain Grounded in Empathy and Ethics 

The Career Development Institute (CDI) is urging career advisers across the UK to embrace a human-centred approach in the face of rapid digital change. The rise of AI offers incredible opportunities, but career advisers must ground their practice in empathy and ethics to navigate the complex challenges ahead. For the Further Education sector, this means a conscious effort to ensure that within their career guidance provision, technology is a partner and that no one is left behind. 

Beyond the Algorithm: The Risk of Bias 

The power of AI to analyse vast data sets and match skills to jobs is undeniable. However, this power comes with a significant caveat: algorithmic bias. AI systems are trained on historical data, which can inadvertently carry and even amplify existing societal inequalities, such as gender or racial bias in hiring. A system trained on data from a male-dominated field, for instance, might unfairly penalise female candidates, limiting their access to opportunities. 

For careers advisers in FE, this means acting as a vital human check on these systems. They must be equipped to question the outputs of these tools, ensuring fairness and accountability. The CDI’s guidance provides a framework for this, encouraging professionals to regularly audit digital tools and challenge their recommendations. This human oversight is crucial to preventing unfair outcomes and championing equity, particularly for a diverse student body that includes learners of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. 

The Digital Divide: Leaving No One Behind 

While digital tools have the potential to democratise access to guidance, they can also widen existing inequalities. The digital divide is a persistent challenge in the UK, with millions lacking the skills, confidence, or access to technology needed to engage with online services. In the FE sector, where students may come from a wider range of socioeconomic backgrounds than in other parts of the education system, this is a particularly acute problem. 

For careers advisers, this presents a dual responsibility. First, it’s about actively helping students from diverse backgrounds – including those from low-income areas or with disabilities – to navigate this digital landscape. This might involve providing direct training on how to use career-related software or how to conduct effective online job searches. Second, it requires a conscious effort to ensure that technology is an enabler, not a barrier. This is why a blended approach, combining digital tools with traditional face-to-face support, is so essential. It ensures that no one is left behind simply because of a lack of digital literacy or access to the latest technology. 

Enhancing, Not Replacing: The Power of a Blended Approach 

At its heart, technology is a tool, not a replacement for the essential human element of career guidance. The most effective approach is a blended one, where digital resources are used to enhance a professional’s expertise. AI can streamline administrative tasks, provide basic information, and identify initial matches, freeing up professionals to focus on the truly impactful work: building trust, providing empathy, and offering the nuanced, person-centred support that technology simply cannot replicate. 

This human-led model is particularly vital when dealing with complex or sensitive issues. For example, an AI might match a student with a career path, but a human professional is needed to discuss the emotional and social implications of that choice. They can provide the listening ear and moral support required to make a life-changing decision. As the new academic year begins and students in the FE sector embark on their next steps, the partnership between groundbreaking technology and the essential human touch is the key to their success. The future of career guidance is a partnership, and it is a distinctly human one. 

Actionable Tips for FE Careers Provision 

To ensure your careers provision is genuinely human-centred, it’s crucial to ensure that the people delivering careers advice to your students have access to CPD and are fully aware of trends, changes and challenges.  

Here are several practical, actionable steps you can take as an FE to ensure your careers provision is robust, relevant, ethical and human-centred:  

• Audit Your Tech Stack: Regularly review the digital careers tools you use. Go beyond the marketing claims and assess them for potential biases. Does a tool’s algorithm favour certain demographics? Does it accurately reflect the diversity of career paths and training routes? A simple audit can prevent the perpetuation of inequality. 

• Champion Digital Literacy: Don’t assume all students are digitally fluent. Offer dedicated workshops or one-on-one sessions that teach practical digital skills for career navigation, such as building a LinkedIn profile, creating a professional email, or effectively searching for jobs online. Position these as essential skills for the future, not just an add-on. 

• Embrace a Blended Delivery Model: Create a clear strategy that integrates online and offline support. Use AI for initial data gathering and signposting, but ensure every student has a scheduled, in-person or video consultation with a qualified careers professional. This balances efficiency with the essential human element of trust and rapport. 

• Focus on the “Soft Skills” of Advising: Invest in continuous professional development (CPD) for your team, focusing on the skills that AI cannot replicate. This includes advanced listening skills, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making. These are the core competencies that truly transform a student’s career journey. 

• Build an Ecosystem, Not a Silo: Careers provision should not exist in isolation. Foster strong links with teaching staff, pastoral care, and employer engagement teams. Encourage a cross-college approach where every staff member understands their role in reinforcing the importance of human-led careers guidance. When a vocational tutor sees a student with a talent for a specific skill, they should be able to seamlessly refer them to a career guidance professional for a human-centred discussion on how to develop that talent. 

By David Morgan, Chief Executive of CDI