Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
Paragraph: 101
Develop a toolkit defining meaningful work experience for Gatsby benchmark objectives.
Conclusion
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 should work with the Careers and Enterprise Company to develop a toolkit setting out what constitutes meaningful work experience to count towards the Gatsby benchmark objectives and ensure that this is shared with Careers Leaders in schools and colleges.
Government response summary AI-generated
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 from Spring 2024 to strengthen content on work experience.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
101
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
124. Influenced by the evidence provided to the Committee, the Department has asked the CEC to develop and deliver an Experiences of the Workplace strategy. We want to promote a flexible range of workplace experiences beyond traditional placements that help pupils to build knowledge of the workplace, for example job shadowing, workplace visits, working on ‘employer briefs’, and virtual experiences with employers. We agree with the Committee that it is important to set out what constitutes meaningful, high-quality work experience. The CEC is building a national quality framework supported by a dedicated experiences of the workplace resource hub containing best practice resources and toolkits, created in collaboration with employers, sector bodies and education. 125. Continuous improvement is supported through a new Careers Impact System which has a specific focus on looking at school’s approaches to achieving Gatsby Benchmark 6 (experiences of workplaces). The CEC has worked with employers and developed ‘Employer Standards’, a digital benchmarking framework and tool that enables employers to self-assess and continuously improve their engagement with education including providing high-quality experiences of the workplace.
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