Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 38
Adapt National Careers Service website content for under-18s or establish an accessible alternative platform.
Conclusion
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 the National Careers Service website to provide links to suggested websites which are more appropriate for those aged under 18.
Government Response Summary
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.
Paragraph Reference:
38
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government partially accepts this recommendation. We agree with the Committee on the importance of ensuring that the National Careers Service website is accessible and useful to young people. We are investing in the National Careers Service website to develop content that supports young people to engage in lifelong learning and decision-making on education and training pathways. We are improving the National Careers Service website to support all people aged 13+ to make informed choices about education, training and work. This includes new content that has been extensively tested with young people, careers advisers, and teachers to ensure it is appealing and accessible. This includes content for young people who are home educated and young carers. We have recently improved the website’s navigation, ensuring young people can easily access career information and advice. In July, we refreshed the National Careers Service branding to ensure it is modern and inclusive of all users. We continue to introduce improvements, for example, making the site easier to read on mobile phones and we will ensure we provide links to suggested websites that are more appropriate for those aged under 18. We have also enhanced the National Careers Service helpline to respond to young people’s evolving needs and to better connect them to services which support them with their education, employment or training journeys. This includes strengthening the referral offer for young people to the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and local services. We are also committed to creating a one-stop-shop for all skills training, as announced by the Prime Minister in July, that will bring everything from T Levels and apprenticeships to Skills Bootcamps and essential skills courses all into one place. This will be an important channel for providing information to young people. This will build on plans already announced to work in partnership with UCAS to allow students to explore apprenticeships alongside traditional degrees.(...truncated...)