Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of careers (a) advice and (b) support offered by secondary schools.

The government is investing over £87 million in 2023/24 in high-quality careers provision for all ages. This includes a grant of up to £29.7 million for The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support secondary schools and colleges to improve their careers programmes in line with the government’s careers framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance.

The vast majority of secondary schools and colleges are now voluntarily working with the CEC through accessing training for Careers Leaders, joining a Careers Hub, partnering with an Enterprise Adviser (business volunteer) and using Compass/Compass+ digital tools.

Over 90% (4,568) of schools and colleges in England are now part of a Careers Hub, benefiting 2.3 million students. 70% (3,520) are partnered with an Enterprise Adviser to support the development of career strategies and employer engagement plans.

The department is ensuring parity of esteem for technical and academic options. We strengthened the provider access legislation which came into force in January 2023 and specifies that schools must provide at least six opportunities for providers of technical education and apprenticeships to speak to all pupils, during school years 8 to 13.

The department is also putting £3.2 million into the Apprenticeship, Support and Knowledge programme which supports students in years 10 to 13 in schools and colleges, along with their parents/carers and teachers to understand and apply for apprenticeships, T Levels and traineeships.

The department’s approach is working with evidence pointing to improved outcomes for young people. Evidence from three cohorts of year 11 leavers (2016/17 – 2018/19) suggests that each of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks achieved reduces the likelihood of any young person being not in education, employment or training, or in an unknown destination by 1.1%. The relationship is twice as strong in the quarter of schools with the most economically disadvantaged intake, as measured by free school meal entitlement.

Career readiness grows as young people move through secondary school. In 2021/22, a CEC survey of 34,986 young people shows their career readiness improves as they progress through school, rising from 45% in year 7 to 67% in year 11 and 74% in year 13.