Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 2
5th Report - Get Britain Working: Creating a new jobs and careers service
Published 11 Sep 2025
Addressed to Department for Work and Pensions
Work and Pensions Committee Get Britain Working: Reforming Jobcentres All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
DWP and DfE should work together to develop a strategy for adult careers guidance. This should be based on an audit of the current career offerings and an assessment of the population’s needs. It should provide an overarching framework and objectives for any careers-related initiatives to follow. The strategy should also set out how the Government will balance providing a universal service while still focusing on those people and areas who most need support. The Government should produce this strategy before it launches the new jobs and careers service, to help ensure the new service is more than just a rebrand of existing careers support. (Recommendation, Paragraph 25)
From: Work and Pensions Committee, 5th Report - Get Britain Working: Creating a new jobs and careers service (HC 1286), 11 September 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 November 2025 (deadline 11 November 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts most of the Committee's recommendations on careers advice, but does not accept the call for a separate adult careers guidance strategy.
- On a separate adult careers guidance strategy, the government says it "agree[s]" on the need for a coherent approach but "Do not accept" a separate strategy, as it "could risk our integrated Jobs and Careers Service vision". It says it "may" consider a Jobs and Careers Service strategy.
- It accepts the funding recommendation: current National Careers Service contracts expire on 30 September 2026, after which adult careers advice in England will be brought "in house into DWP", ending the incentivised funding model.
- On performance measures it "partially accept[s]", saying its evaluation strategy is "under development" and will be shared with the Committee "in due course".
- It accepts the call for a transition plan, saying a detailed plan "will be published within the next six months" and that DWP is "committed to working with NCS contractors, employees and unions".