Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
Paragraph: 54
Pilot direct funding programme for careers advisers through the Careers and Enterprise Company.
Conclusion
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 Summary
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 maintain that school leaders are best placed to decide how to use their budgets.
Paragraph Reference:
54
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government partially accepts this recommendation. The Government already funds the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to provide grants to schools and colleges in Careers Hubs, which can be used to fund careers activities, including purchasing support from careers advisers. In 2022/23, the CEC provided grant funding to schools and colleges in Careers Hubs to support them to progress on the Gatsby Benchmarks. 100% of schools in a Careers Hub and working with an Enterprise Adviser benefited from an average grant of £2,000 to support their careers activity. Schools and colleges can also apply for specific CEC-funded programmes that support specific elements of the Gatsby Benchmarks including funding for careers advice. For example, the SEND Bursary Fund provides grant funding to ensure that young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools and colleges can access careers advice. In 2022/23, CEC supported 74 mainstream schools and colleges, in 33 Careers Hubs, to deliver targeted support to improve careers outcomes for young people with SEND, including through funding careers advisers. As set out in our response to Recommendation 9, schools are funded to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, including statutory careers guidance. School leaders are best placed to decide how to use their budgets to meet the needs of their pupils. We have introduced a new careers statutory duty that applies to all secondary schools in England to provide independent and impartial careers guidance for pupils in years 7 to 13. Our careers statutory guidance sets out that schools and colleges should use external careers advice for independent careers guidance interviews. The Government also funds the National Careers Service to provide this service to those aged 13+ via its website, webchat and telephone helpline.(...truncated...)