Vocational Guidance: Secondary Education

(asked on 1st July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to improve careers information and guidance for secondary school leavers.


Answered by
Anne Milton Portrait
Anne Milton
This question was answered on 9th July 2019

Our careers strategy, published in December 2017, committed investment, support and resources to help schools make visible and lasting improvements. It endorses the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance, based on rigorous national and international research. The benchmarks help schools develop a programme of high quality careers advice and all schools are expected to meet the 8 benchmarks by the end of 2020.

To support schools in implementing the benchmarks, we have funded 1,300 bursaries for face-to-face careers leader training and have established a network of 40 careers hubs. Hubs bring together schools, colleges, Local Enterprise Partnerships, businesses and careers organisations to work together towards achieving the benchmarks.

We are also funding The Careers & Enterprise Company to help connect schools and colleges with employers, to provide meaningful encounters with the world of work for young people. Through its Enterprise Adviser Network, over 2,000 business volunteers have been matched to schools and colleges to help them develop their careers education plans.

Under the Baker clause, introduced in January 2018, all secondary schools must invite providers of technical education and apprenticeships to talk to all pupils to support them to understand their full range of options. Schools must also publish a policy statement setting out these opportunities and make sure that this statement is followed.

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