Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to (a) reform the National Careers Service and (b) review careers advice contracts.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.

In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers as well as better join-up between employability and careers provision.

The current National Careers Service contracts are due to expire on 30 September 2026. Therefore, a decision was required on how to deliver adult careers advice from that point.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has taken the decision to bring adult careers advice in-house into DWP from 1 October 2026. This means that National Careers Service contractors will no longer deliver this service after that date.

This change is designed to ensure maximum flexibility in developing an integrated employment support and careers advice service. It will enable the service to respond more effectively to customer needs, identify and embed improved operational practices, and bring together employment and careers advice to meet the ambitions of the Get Britain Working White Paper