Social Mobility: Careers Education

Janet Daby Excerpts

Thursday 19th June 2025 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)]

It is a real pleasure to speak this afternoon, Ms Lewell. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger) on securing this important debate. I acknowledge all the remarkable contributions from hon. Members across the Chamber. My hon. Friend is clearly very driven and knowledgeable about this area. I thank him for sharing the success of Rofft school in Wrexham and the transformational testimonies of Vicki’s progress with her art and Sophie’s with her maths. It was so lovely to hear about Sophie going on her first holiday as well.

With regard to the broader professional skills framework, the Government agree on the importance of soft skills, which the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) referred to as life skills. Officials recently met with Skills Builder to discuss that framework. I make it known to my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham that we recommend its use in our recently updated statutory careers guidance for schools.

I also acknowledge other Members. My hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) spoke about the need for young people to be able to make informed career choices. They need to be given the right advice to prevent confusion. I acknowledge the contribution from the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead (Rachel Gilmour). I absolutely agree that children and young people need to think big, dream big and aspire to be the best they can.

My hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) was clear that the career progress of children and young people should not be a lottery, and that we need to make sure that we continue to combat child poverty. That is extremely significant. I acknowledge the remarks made by my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Mr Quigley) about the Government’s work on 1,000 career advisers. I appreciate his contribution. My hon. Friend the Member for Bangor Aberconwy (Claire Hughes) spoke passionately about the creative industries, and the need for young people to know what jobs are available and for that information to be made known to them. That is extremely important. They need to know what exists, from a young age.

Hon. Members spoke about many topics, including having the chance to go on to a career as an older person, not just as a younger person. For some, life begins at 40 or beyond. We must not reduce the opportunities for children and young people, or for adults. Many stories have been shared today, including the story of Jack Bailey. I thank hon. Members for all those contributions. I absolutely agree that we need to support young people in the choices that they make. The hon. Member for Twickenham spoke about a range of learning, training and skills that should be on a par with universities. There is no disagreement from us on that. She also spoke about the value of career hubs—again, I absolutely agree.

There was much criticism of the Scottish National party and its many failures. That came across very clearly. So much needs to be done there, and we will hold them to account every step of the way, as do Members across this Chamber. The Opposition spokesperson, the hon. Member for Gordon and Buchan (Harriet Cross), also spoke about SNP failings, but seemed to ignore her own party’s failings when in government.

Young people need the right opportunities and the right information and guidance to set them on the path of success. That is crucial if we are to meet the skills needs of the future and deliver on the Government’s five missions. We will do better than the last Government. Almost one in eight young people across the United Kingdom is not in education, training or work. That limits our productivity and growth. More than half a million vacancies are due to skills shortages. We can all agree that those are very real challenges and there is an urgent need to take action.

We are investing £15.8 billion in the financial year 2025-26 in apprenticeships, further education and higher education. We are serious about the changes that are needed. We are developing a comprehensive strategy for post-16 education and skills to break down barriers to opportunity and to support the development of a skilled workforce in all areas of England. A skills system fit for the future will give young people the training and skills to gain a sense of success and purpose and to build confidence and the opportunity to pursue a rewarding career.

Too often, young people from deprived backgrounds and communities lack the information, connections and encouragement to look beyond their current landscapes; we have heard that from many Members this afternoon. Careers education is a great enabler, empowering young people to explore their potential and to navigate their future with confidence. Teachers should and must make the classroom an important place of career exploration, and I absolutely agree with hon. Members that that must start early. We should encourage aspiration among primary-age children by opening their eyes to a wide range of jobs and careers and speaking to them about opportunities, jobs, careers and what they could go on to do. We should tell them that they can go on to be sustained in a career they enjoy.

For secondary pupils, through career learning in curriculum subjects, teachers can help to connect and apply knowledge and skills to real-world contexts. Careers education can illuminate career pathways through conversations with employers, training providers and careers advisers. The foundations of the careers system and improving outcomes for young people are in place. By using the Gatsby benchmarks of good career guidance, dedicated careers leaders are developing careers programmes for young people against a set of world-class standards, overseen by the Careers and Enterprise Company—a national network of 44 career hubs, delivering career support to 95% of secondary schools and colleges.

The hubs are partnerships with strategic and local authorities that connect careers provision to the needs of local economies and leverage support from thousands of employers. They are targeting the right young people to promote social mobility in every region. For example, the Cumbria careers hub worked with the local hospitality industry and 10 schools, targeting students with low social mobility. The students visited a local college, where top Cumbrian chefs cooked a three-course lunch while explaining food presentation, food service and food provenance. The careers hub funded all the transport costs.

Careers hub membership leads to stronger career provision, as those schools and colleges meet an average of 5.8 out of the eight Gatsby benchmarks. It leads to more understanding of technical routes: 80% of young people are likely to report awareness of an apprenticeship by year 11, almost on par with A-levels. It leads to increased employer engagement: learners in 64% of schools have 10 or more encounters with businesses. Only yesterday, I met a young person in the Department undertaking an apprenticeship in business management. She spoke excitedly, and so well and confidently, about her experience. We need to ensure more of our young people have such experiences all around our country.

There is also well developed evidence linking good career guidance to reduced levels of young people not in education, employment or training. Young people in schools and colleges with the highest-quality careers provision are 8% less likely to become NEET. That effect is magnified in the most disadvantaged schools, where the highest-quality careers provision is associated with a 20% reduction in NEET rates. But there is more to do to ensure that young people from all backgrounds can realise those benefits. The data shows a gap in career readiness ranging from 2% to 5% between the most and least economically disadvantaged young people. Disadvantaged people are less confident in talking about their skills when applying for courses or jobs. Only 25% of schools and colleges fully achieve all eight Gatsby benchmarks, which represent the highest-quality careers provision.

We want to accelerate progress, close gaps and better support young people to raise aspiration and meet the country’s skills needs. That is why we are committed to improving careers advice in schools and colleges across England. We have raised the bar of our expectations for careers guidance for young people by publishing updated statutory guidance for schools and colleges, which adopts the updated Gatsby benchmarks framework with evidence-based improvements that will lead to even better outcomes for young people. That includes opening up opportunities to young people with SEND. There are many examples of that. York and North Yorkshire careers hub is working with Forest Moor school, a SEND school in a rural area, to support year 11 pupils to access experiences of trade, such as bricklaying, plastering and decorating.

I recognise that time is moving on. Much more could be said about what the Government are doing in this area. Too many young people are missing out on the work experience that they need. We will continue to develop skills and improve work readiness to ensure that young people are supported. That includes virtual workplace experiences for more than 1,000 schools in rural and coastal areas, providing access to wider national networks of employers outside their local community, including with key employers such as Airbus and Siemens.

The need for high-quality careers education is not confined to the young. The “Get Britain Working” White Paper set us on the path to creating an inclusive labour market in which everybody can participate and progress in work. Careers and employability support are at the heart of that. To help bridge the gap for those who might otherwise struggle to find employment, a new youth guarantee will ensure that 18 to 21-year-olds in England can get support to find training, an apprenticeship or work. We are also providing support for adults who want to work, increase their earnings, change their career or even retrain.

In England, the National Careers Service and Jobcentre Plus will be brought together as a new jobs and careers service. That will create greater awareness of opportunities, and a focus on skills and careers, as well as better join-up between employability, support and career provision.

I am enormously grateful for the support of my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham for this agenda, and for all hon. Members’ contributions, which have shone a light on the vital role of careers education in tackling disadvantage. I have set out some of what we are doing to ensure that people from all backgrounds are supported in finding rewarding and fulfilling careers.