Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure equal access to all-age careers guidance services across the UK.

Policy for education, including careers guidance, is devolved within the UK. The response below relates only to policy in England.

The government’s policy on careers guidance aims to ensure that people of all ages can access high quality support when they need it. Schools and colleges in England have a legal responsibility to secure independent careers guidance for all 12- to- 18-year-olds. This must include information on the full range of education or training options, including apprenticeships.

The National Careers Service was launched in April 2012 and provides professional and impartial careers information, advice and guidance to adults and young people aged 13 and over to support their decision making about learning and work. Support is available to adults and young people via a website, web chat or National Contact Centre helpline. The service also offers face to face help for adults over 19 (18 if in receipt of out of work benefits). The National Careers Service users satisfaction and progression survey shows that 94% of face-to-face and telephone customers agreed that the overall quality of the service was good. The survey report is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-careers-service-satisfaction-and-progression-surveys-2013-to-2014-report

From October 2014, we enhanced the role of the National Careers Service. National Careers Service contractors now have a responsibility to work with schools and colleges to facilitate relationships with local employers. They will work closely with the new Careers and Enterprise Company, whose core purpose is to take a lead role in transforming the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people to inspire them to take control of and shape their own futures.