Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Rejected
Develop a coherent strategy for adult careers guidance based on needs assessment and audit.
Recommendation
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)
Government Response Summary
The government explicitly rejects the recommendation, stating that following the transfer of adult careers responsibility to DWP, a separate careers guidance strategy would risk their integrated Jobs and Careers Service vision. They confirm extensive prior research and will consider a broader Jobs and Careers Service strategy in the future.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Do not accept The Committee highlights the importance of ensuring a coherent approach to adult careers guidance as we develop the Jobs and Careers Service, and we agree. Since the publication of the Select Committee report, the government has moved responsibility for adult careers from DfE to DWP, bringing together employment support, skills and careers in one place. This was confirmed on the 16 September 2025 in a statement issued by the Prime Minister. As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we recognise the challenges identified by the Committee and we are committed to delivering a new single and universal service, reforming Jobcentre Plus and providing a stronger focus on skills and careers. In the build up to publishing the Get Britain Working White Paper, we undertook extensive research assessing the government careers offering to assess the population’s needs. We continue to build on this as we design and develop the new service. We will also continue to use the Jobs and Careers Service Pathfinders to develop our thinking on the design of the Jobs and Careers Service through a test and learn approach. We are undertaking broad sector engagement, including with local government, to test and further refine our thinking and ensure our approach is coherent. As the Committee notes, getting the balance between offering a universal service whilst focusing on those who need support most is a key area of focus. As such, careers is an important, but integrated, part of the Jobs and Careers Service. Particularly following the machinery of government change, we believe we are now at the point where ‘careers’ needs to be considered as a part of this larger whole. Writing a separate careers guidance strategy therefore could risk our integrated Jobs and Careers Service vision. We will continue to build on the research alongside learning from the Pathfinders, which together will enable us to take stock and consider next steps. This may include considering a Jobs and Careers Service strategy to ensure the objectives of the new service are met.