THE standard of careers advice being given by some schools an colleges is poor and does not always act in the best in interest of pupils, according to the principal of St Helens College.

Jette Burford, who has been the college head for more than two years, believes some establishments give information which is in their own interest, rather than the students'.

She says the consequences of bad guidance can be "disastrous" and believes proper advice should focus not just on academic or practical skills, but also on a student's values and personality.

Mrs Burford, who stopped short of pointing the finger at any particular schools, said: "If they get the wrong advice, they might start an unsuitable course and end up giving up half way through.

"Careers advice should be impartial and in the interests of the student - not seeking to maintain or improve a school or college's student retention rates."

She referred to a report by school inspectors Ofsted last September which criticised the careers advice on offer in schools.

The report found that three quarters of schools involved in a national survey were not carrying out their duty to provide impartial careers advice.

It states: "Very few of the schools visited knew how to provide a service effectively or had the skills and expertise needed to provide a comprehensive service."

Asked about the guidance at local secondary schools, St Helens Council said advice is delivered by Greater Merseyside Connexions Service, which employs independent and impartial advisers.

However, it is understood the depth of service the company provides in schools has fallen considerably since changes in Government policy put the emphasis on individual schools to fund the amount of time advisors spend with pupils.

Despite a recent redundancy in St Helens College's careers department, the principal believes the college takes the right approach to advising students.

She believes the mistakes some advisors make include assuming students share their own personal values, such as that higher paid jobs are desirable over all others. She believes some advisors concentrates only on the student's most obvious skills and do not always respect the student's choice.

She said: "Good advice is important. It is clearly good for the student as they make the right choice and are less likely to leave school or college. They will have hopefully started a journey towards a career that will enrich their life."