Select committee: Education Committee
Conclusion 27
Fourth Report - Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance
Published 29 Jun 2023
Paragraph 101
Addressed to Department for Education
Education Committee Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
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.
From: Education Committee, Fourth Report - Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (HC 54), paragraph 101, 29 June 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 21 September 2023 (deadline 29 August 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it welcomes the report and "accept[s] fully or in part the majority of the Committee's recommendations", and says that where it does not fully accept one, it has an alternative existing or planned approach.
- On a new strategy, it agrees there is "a strong case" and intends to publish a Strategic Action Plan for Careers in 2024, setting clear measurable outcomes and dates.
- It does not accept additional numerical Gatsby Benchmark targets, saying they risk "encouraging a tick-box approach".
- It is "not persuaded" that it should suggest a proportion of time for Careers Leaders, and "does not agree" with ringfencing funding for careers advisers, saying schools and colleges are best placed to decide their own arrangements.
- It agrees to update the careers statutory guidance in spring 2024 to set an expectation that schools and colleges self-report against the Gatsby Benchmarks annually, while avoiding mandating Compass.