Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Adult careers guidance in England is fragmented, confusing, and lacks a coherent strategy.
Conclusion
Careers advice helps people achieve their potential, improving employment outcomes, as well as unlocking huge productivity gains with significant economic benefits. However, careers advice in England is a patchwork of services that lacks cohesion and is confusing and fragmented. Overall responsibility for adult careers guidance has fallen between the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local government, with no coherent guiding strategy. (Conclusion, Paragraph 24)
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's assessment and will bring adult careers advice provision, currently delivered by the National Careers Service, in-house to the DWP from 30 September 2026 to create a single integrated employment and careers support service.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We have reviewed the current National Careers Service funding model and contracting arrangements and agree with the Committee’s comments. The current contracts are due to expire on 30 September 2026, and from that point we will bring adult careers advice provision in England in house into DWP. This will bring employment support and careers advice together as set out in the manifesto and Get Britain Working White Paper, to create a single user offer across employment and careers support. This will ensure maximum flexibility in providing an integrated, adaptable service that quickly identifies improved operational practices and meets customer needs as well as delivering higher impact and value for money. Bringing the provision for careers advice in England in house will end the current incentivised funding model and enable the development of an integrated service with robust performance measures that will build on the Get Britain Working outcomes and align with the government’s wider employment goals.