After a very long wait, the Rt Hon Anne Milton MP has finally revealed the new Careers Strategy which aims, she says, “to create a thriving careers system, that is accessible to everyone” and which is “at the heart of our focus on social mobility.”
The Strategy will use the eight benchmarks of good practice set out by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation which have been piloted in the North-East. This model presents a clear way for schools and colleges to plan their own careers programmes and the Strategy calls for all schools to appoint a careers leader to oversee its implementation; there will be pot of £4 million to train them.
The Strategy also includes:
- further support to bring together education, business, and public sectors so that more meaningful encounters with the world of work can take place for students; schools should aim to offer every young person seven encounters with employers including with STEM employers
- a new investment fund of £5 million to support the most disadvantaged pupils
- 20 “careers hubs” will be funded by Government and supported by a coordinator from the CEC
- support for young people with special educational needs and disabilities
- support to develop best practice in careers work in primary schools
- a new, improved National Careers Service website
Schools will still be expected to provide independent, impartial careers guidance but the Strategy does not move further to acknowledge that this has become patchy in recent years.
New Statutory Guidance for schools is expected in January.