Recommendations & Conclusions
43 items
1
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The system of careers education, information, advice and guidance has undergone many changes over the past decade. It appears that the right framework is broadly in place, but there is a lack of a clear overarching strategy and stated outcomes. Progress towards meeting the Gatsby benchmarks has been slow, with …
Government response. The government agrees the framework is broadly right and commits to publishing a Strategic Action Plan for Careers in 2024, which will include measurable outcomes and dates, directly addressing the identified lack of strategy.
Department for Education
2
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should publish an updated Careers Strategy, developed in consultation with other Departments and relevant stakeholders, by the end of 2024. This should include clear, measurable outcomes and dates by which these should be achieved, including targets for increasing the number of schools achieving the Gatsby benchmarks in full.
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation and commits to publishing a Strategic Action Plan for Careers in 2024, developed in consultation with stakeholders, which will include clear, measurable outcomes and targets for Gatsby benchmark achievement.
Department for Education
3
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
High-quality CEIAG provision is an essential part of pupils’ personal development and should be a core part of the Ofsted framework. The Department must ensure that Ofsted is upholding a strong focus on CEIAG provision when inspecting schools, in particular looking at schools’ achievement of the Gatsby benchmarks.
Government response. The government fully accepts the recommendation, stating that the school inspection handbook was updated in 2021 to ensure Ofsted judges careers provision, including Gatsby Benchmarks, as part of personal development.
Department for Education
4
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Acknowledged
The Department should update its statutory guidance to make reporting through the Compass tool compulsory for all secondary schools and colleges, and work with the Careers and Enterprise Company to ensure that they are providing the support and resources needed to do this. (Paragraph 17) The organisations delivering CEIAG
Government response. The government agrees on the potential of digital solutions and has commissioned the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to review and recommend enhancements for Compass+. It will consider the feasibility of a national work experience platform as a longer-term aspiration, …
Department for Education
5
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Careers and Enterprise Company appears to have made improvements over the past few years and is achieving positive results, particularly through the expansion of Careers Hubs. 90% of schools and colleges are now part of a Careers Hub: we would like to see this expanded to all schools and …
Government response. The government welcomes progress, stating 90% of schools are already in Careers Hubs and all will be offered the opportunity to join by 2024, with 95% expected to be part of the network. They will consider how to scale up …
Department for Education
6
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Acknowledged
Careers Leaders are much needed in schools and colleges, but many are struggling to fulfil their responsibilities effectively due to lack of time amid competing pressures, and almost half have less than a day per week allocated to their role. This is a crucial role that must be given the …
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of Careers Leaders, highlights existing support and training provided via the CEC, and commits to considering how best to strengthen the role and support them further as part of the Strategic Action Plan for …
Department for Education
7
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department should set an objective for the Careers and Enterprise Company to ensure that 100% of schools and colleges are part of Careers Hubs by the end of 2024, and must provide the CEC with the appropriate resources and funding to achieve this.
Government response. The government agrees with the benefits and expects to offer all secondary schools and colleges the opportunity to join a Careers Hub by 2024, aiming for 95% participation. They will consider how to scale up to 100% as part of …
Department for Education
8
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
The Department should update its statutory guidance to suggest an appropriate proportion of time that Careers Leaders should be given to fulfil their role and should require schools and colleges to publish information on the time they have allocated to the role on their website. It should ensure that the …
Government response. The government acknowledges the recommendation and will consider it carefully as part of the Strategic Action Plan for Careers. They also state they will review the careers statutory guidance in spring 2024 to consider further strengthening.
Department for Education
9
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The National Careers Service website is theoretically available to young people from the age of 13, but in practice is not targeted at or being used by them. Fewer than 10% of 18–19-year-olds had used it in 2018 and none of the young people we spoke to had heard of …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation for improvements to the National Careers Service website, detailing significant past and ongoing work, including refreshing the brand, creating new content, improving accessibility, and enhancing the digital journey for young people.
Department for Education
10
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department should either work with DWP to ensure that the National Careers Service website has content appropriate and accessible to young people under 18 or create an alternative to the National Careers Service website which is accessible to and useful to young people. In the meantime, it should update …
Government response. The government partially accepts, stating it is investing to develop content, improving website navigation and branding, enhancing the helpline, and committing to providing links to suitable websites for under 18s and creating a one-stop-shop for skills training.
Department for Education
11
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
There is a broad consensus that the current structure of CEIAG provision is fragmented, causes confusion, and creates gaps and overlaps. We do not believe that creating a single, all-age body is necessary at this stage, but agree with Professor Sir John Holman and others that there needs to be …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, agreeing that the careers system is fragmented and needs greater alignment. They commit to developing a single, unified all-age careers system, starting with a new digital platform by autumn 2023, and will engage stakeholders on …
Department for Education
12
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should follow the recommendation set by Professor Sir John Holman to bring the existing delivery bodies under a single strategic umbrella function, sharing a common strategic framework and coordinating local services. We ask the Minister to update us on his planned reforms in this area and provide us …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, committing to developing a single, unified all-age careers system, starting with a new digital platform by autumn 2023. Further details and a timeline for reforms will be published in a Strategic Action Plan for Careers …
Department for Education
13
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department’s expenditure on CEIAG provision is around £5,000 per school— falling far short of the estimated £38,000 to £76,000 needed to achieve the Gatsby benchmarks. The expectation on schools and colleges to pay for CEIAG out of their already stretched budgets is causing significant disparities in provision, and we …
Government response. The government partially accepts, acknowledging disparities and describing its ongoing investment of over £90 million in careers provision, primarily through the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and National Careers Service, and new legislation for statutory guidance. They state school leaders …
Department for Education
14
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should pilot a programme of funding careers advisers directly through the CEC, rather than requiring schools and colleges to buy in this support from their existing budgets.
Government response. The government partially accepts, but states it already funds the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to provide grants that schools and colleges can use to fund careers activities, including purchasing support from careers advisers. They highlight existing grant schemes and …
Department for Education
15
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
To target those most in need of improvement, we recommend that the Department should make one-off developmental funding available to schools and colleges who 50 Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance have the lowest record of achieving the Gatsby benchmarks to support them to improve their CEIAG provision, setting out …
Government response. The government partially accepts, but states that its primary approach already involves the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) using data to identify and target additional support and resources, including specific funding, to schools and colleges with lower Gatsby Benchmark attainment.
Department for Education
16
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should include support for CEIAG provision in the package available to education investment areas and priority education investment areas and use this to develop pilots in these areas to explore what works best. (Paragraph 56) CEIAG in primary schools
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, stating that the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has identified 38 Priority Education Investment Areas where additional funding has been prioritised to develop and pilot careers provision, including specific support for primary schools, with ongoing …
Department for Education
17
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
Starting careers education early is essential to broadening children’s horizons and showing them the full range of opportunities in the world of work. The Department has so far been taking an approach of relatively small-scale pilot programmes to test approaches, which appear to have been making a positive start, but …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, agreeing on the importance of early careers education. They are funding the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to pilot careers programmes in 70 primary schools and developing a primary careers education framework, committing to evaluate …
Department for Education
18
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should evaluate the success of its careers programme for primary schools after its first year, and if it has been shown to have a positive impact, scale it up to cover all areas of England. In doing so the Department should consider working with the full range of …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, confirming the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) will evaluate the success of its primary school careers pilots and work with a range of providers. They commit to considering how to scale up support and will …
Department for Education
19
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
Additionally, the Department should work with the Gatsby Foundation to develop a tailored set of benchmarks for careers education in primary schools and provide guidance and resources through the Careers and Enterprise Company to support schools to meet them. (Paragraph 67) Embedding careers into the curriculum
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, agreeing to work with the Gatsby Foundation and other stakeholders to develop a tailored framework of benchmarks for primary careers education. They will also consider how the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) can best support …
Department for Education
20
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
We have heard some strong examples of careers being successfully embedded into the curriculum and the situation is improving, with 70% of schools and colleges fully achieving the relevant Gatsby benchmark, up from 38% in 2018. However, more support and guidance must be put in place to enable this: currently, …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation and highlights existing initiatives like the Careers & Enterprise Company's resources, the Teacher Encounters programme, and investment in the FE workforce to provide the necessary support and training.
Department for Education
21
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should launch a consultation on how best to incorporate careers education into different levels of teacher training, including for primary school teachers, looking at every level including initial teacher training and Early Career Frameworks, National Professional Qualifications and CPD.
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, committing to review existing teacher training frameworks (ITT CCF, ECF, NPQs, CPD) and engage with stakeholders to incorporate careers education, with further details to be published in a Strategic Action Plan in 2024.
Department for Education
22
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
There is a clear need to explore ways in which teachers can gain familiarity with the world of work in sectors relevant to the subjects they teach, in order to be able to pass this knowledge on to their pupils. We look forward to hearing more details of the Department’s …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation and states it is already addressing it through the Teacher Encounters programme, launched in January 2023, which aims to immerse 1,000 teachers in industry and has already conducted over 800 encounters. Further details will be …
Department for Education
23
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Acknowledged
In the Department’s work to develop model curricula, it must engage with CEIAG professionals and employer representatives to ensure that links to relevant career paths and examples from the world of work are incorporated. (Paragraph 82) Connecting employers with schools
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of linking learning to the world of work but states this is primarily the responsibility of schools and teachers. It commits to continue supporting teachers through existing programs like Teacher Encounters and developing curriculum …
Department for Education
24
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
Too many young people are missing out on high-quality work experience placements, particularly the most disadvantaged and those living outside large cities. Increasing access is crucial to opening up opportunities for young people across the country: virtual and hybrid placements can play a key role here, but should not be …
Government response. The government agrees and has made experiences of workplaces a strategic priority for Careers Hubs in 2023–24, providing additional funding for three distinct activity strands targeting up to 15,000 disadvantaged young people, 5,000 in growth sectors, and virtual experiences for …
Department for Education
25
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
We have heard that administrative requirements, particularly concerns around safeguarding, may form a barrier to schools being able to arrange work experience placements. Safeguarding is an essential aspect of every school and college’s work. The opportunity for young people to experience the workplace and access the benefits that such placements …
Government response. The government agrees that administrative burdens and safeguarding concerns should not hinder work experience, and has commissioned the CEC to review existing guidance and resources, with the work due to complete this autumn, after which statutory guidance will be reviewed.
Department for Education
26
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
The Department should consult on the administrative requirements for schools and employers to provide work experience and consider whether any requirements can be removed or lightened without compromising the safety and wellbeing of pupils. It must work with the Careers and Enterprise Company to ensure that these requirements are communicated …
Government response. The government defers action, stating it will only consider removing or lightening administrative requirements after the review of existing guidance, mentioned in response to recommendation 25, is completed this autumn.
Department for Education
27
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The goals set out in the Gatsby benchmark of experiences of the workplace provide a useful framework for schools to follow, but schools must ensure that opportunities are of high quality and tailored to pupils’ individual needs and aspirations rather than following a ‘tick-box’ approach to organising placements. The Department …
Government response. The government agrees and highlights that the CEC has already developed a new resource hub containing tools and guidance, including an employer handbook and pupil workbook, which sets out what constitutes high-quality work experience. They will also review statutory guidance …
Department for Education
28
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department should develop a national platform for work experience placements, which includes virtual opportunities, allowing schools and employers to collaborate over finding and organising placements. It should work with the Careers and Enterprise Company to ensure that Careers Hubs are promoting work experience opportunities and offering the right support …
Government response. The government partially accepts, commissioning the CEC to review and recommend enhancements to existing digital infrastructure for work experience. A national platform is deemed a longer-term aspiration, whose feasibility will be considered as part of the Strategic Action Plan for …
Department for Education
29
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The new provider access legislation is an important step in the right direction to ensure that pupils are hearing about the full range of post-16 options available. We look forward to seeing the impact of these reforms, but we are concerned that there currently does not seem to be a …
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of monitoring compliance and outlines several existing mechanisms, including the CEC's Compass tool for recording compliance, Careers Hub support, a provider concern registration platform, ongoing monitoring, and Ofsted inspections which now report non-compliance and …
Department for Education
30
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Acknowledged
Simply informing pupils of the options available is not enough to tackle the fundamental bias towards academic routes still seen in many schools. As long as 52 Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance schools are incentivised to steer pupils towards academic paths and to celebrate university admissions over apprenticeship or …
Government response. The government acknowledges the bias towards academic routes and outlines existing Ofsted assessments for careers provision. It also highlights a new initiative with UCAS from autumn 2023 to present apprenticeship opportunities alongside undergraduate courses for greater parity of information.
Department for Education
31
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
The Department should directly track compliance with the new provider access legislation and ensure that the appropriate action, as set out in the statutory guidance, is taken when schools are failing to comply. We recognise that Ofsted is not awarding “outstanding” grades to schools not complying with the Baker Clause—it …
Government response. The Department agrees on the importance of monitoring provider access legislation and states it is already working with CEC to record compliance via the Compass tool. Ofsted's handbook was updated in 2021 to account for non-compliance, and a thematic review …
Department for Education
32
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department should develop potential solutions to the problem of schools being incentivised to encourage pupils to follow academic routes. As a first step, it must ensure that Ofsted are giving appropriate weight to employment and vocational routes when looking at destinations data and pupils’ preparedness for their next steps, …
Government response. The government describes existing Ofsted assessments for careers provision and how it promotes unbiased advice. It commits to a new DfE and UCAS partnership from autumn 2023, allowing students to explore apprenticeship opportunities alongside university courses on the UCAS Hub, …
Department for Education
33
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Acknowledged
It is essential that disadvantaged pupils and those from minority ethnic backgrounds receive high-quality CEIAG provision and have access to the full range of opportunities available to their peers. While the Department and the CEC’s approach of trialling programmes in local areas is a sensible way of testing policy proposals …
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of high-quality CEIAG for disadvantaged pupils and the need to learn from best practice. It states that further details, including measurable outcomes and dates, will be set out in the upcoming Strategic Action Plan …
Department for Education
34
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
The Department must evaluate the impact of its pilot programmes targeting disadvantaged pupils and those from minority ethnic groups and set out a timeline for when it expects the programmes to be rolled out nationally, where they are proven to be effective.
Government response. The government highlights ongoing evaluations of pilot programmes and states that learning from these will inform future provision. However, it defers setting out a timeline for national rollout of effective programmes, stating this will be detailed in the forthcoming Strategic …
Department for Education
35
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Acknowledged
It is clear that pupils with SEND have particular need of high-quality, tailored CEIAG provision, and worrying that these young people are more than twice as likely as their peers to have received no careers guidance at all. It is positive that the Department is piloting extending Supported Internships to …
Government response. The government expresses delight about the Supported Internship pilot to extend the programme to pupils without EHCPs. It details the pilot's scope and timeline (autumn term to March 2025) and commits to carefully considering national rollout after evaluation.
Department for Education
36
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department should work with the CEC to collect and publish data on the proportion of SENCOs who have undertaken careers training, and set out the steps it intends to take to ensure that all SENCOs are fully trained and working with Careers Leaders with a school or college.
Government response. The government agrees on the importance of SEND careers support, stating it funds the CEC to develop Careers Leader training (including for SENCOs) and will ask CEC to continue working with partners like NASEN to enhance SENCO professional development. However, …
Department for Education
37
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
Four years ago, our predecessor Committee highlighted the gaps in access to Supported Internships for pupils with SEND without an EHCP. We welcome the Department’s Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance 53 pilot to extend the programme as announced in the Spring Budget and recommend that this should be rolled …
Government response. The government welcomes the Supported Internship pilot, detailing its operation from autumn term until March 2025. It commits to carefully considering the possibility of national rollout after the pilot has been evaluated, based on the findings.
Department for Education
38
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted
Pupils in care and young carers are likely to face additional barriers to accessing CEIAG and moving into employment, but there appears to be limited understanding of how these groups access and navigate the CEIAG system, and little targeted support in place for this group. It is positive that the …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, highlighting the recent addition of young carers to the school census and a £10 million investment for 2023-24 and 2024-25 to extend Pupil Premium Plus. This funding will support children in care and care leavers …
Department for Education
39
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department must scale up its programme of expanded Pupil Premium Plus funding to cover all areas of the country and ensure that, as a condition of receiving the funding, local authorities are providing young people with access to careers advice.
Government response. The Department has scaled up Pupil Premium Plus-style funding to £24 million for all local authorities from 2023–24, meeting the first part of the recommendation. However, it states that Virtual School Heads will have discretion over the funding's use and …
Department for Education
40
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Accepted in Part
The Department should conduct research into the experience of CEIAG among young carers and the barriers they face. Following this, it should use its learning from its existing pilot programmes for disadvantaged groups to put in place targeted support for this group.
Government response. The government has added young carers to the school census to identify support needs, partially addressing the research component. It outlines existing measures like Pupil Premium Plus, increased apprenticeship bursaries, and Civil Service internships to support young carers, but does …
Department for Education
41
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
There is a clear need for support enabling pupils outside mainstream education to access careers advice and guidance. The rising number of pupils being educated at home risks more and more young people being locked out of access to CEIAG provision, and the much-awaited register of pupils not in school …
Government response. The government agrees on the need for statutory registers for children not in school but defers their introduction to the next suitable legislative opportunity. In the interim, it highlights existing support via Careers Hubs, online modules, and the National Careers …
Department for Education
42
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
The Department must develop a system of support for young people outside of mainstream education to access CEIAG, either through improvements to the National Careers Service or through the Careers and Enterprise Company. This should be clearly advertised and proactively targeted to ensure that young people and their families are …
Government response. The government agrees more needs to be done but defers concrete action, stating it will consider evaluation findings from a pilot and discuss with the sector before determining mechanisms, with further detail to come in a Strategic Action Plan for …
Department for Education
43
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Info…
Deferred
The Department must deliver on its commitment to introduce a register of pupils not in school by the end of the year, and should use this to gather more data on the characteristics of these pupils and how best to target support. The proposed duty on local authorities to provide …
Government response. The government agrees with the need for statutory registers and a duty for local authorities but states these measures will be taken forward at the next suitable legislative opportunity when parliamentary time allows. They also note ongoing voluntary data collection …
Department for Education