A Stable Careers Programme
Every school, special school, college or provider should have an embedded programme of careers education and guidance that is known and understood by learners, parents and carers, staff, governors, employers and other agencies.
What good looks like
- Every school, special school, college and provider should have a stable, structured careers programme that has the explicit backing of governors, the headteacher and the senior management team, and has an identified and appropriately trained Careers Leader responsible for it.
- The careers programme should be tailored to the needs of learners, sequenced appropriately, underpinned by learning outcomes and linked to the whole-school development plan. It should also set out how parents and carers will be engaged throughout.
- The careers programme should be published on the school, special school, college and provider's website and communicated in ways that enable learners, parents and carers, staff and employers to access and understand it.
- The programme should be regularly evaluated using feedback from learners, parents and carers, teachers and other staff who support learners, Careers Advisers and employers to increase its impact.
The resources below are designed to support you with Gatsby Benchmark 1. To explore all of the Gatsby Benchmarks in greater depth, download the toolkit that best aligns with your setting.
Funded Careers Leader training via The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) supports with accelerated and meaningful achievement of the Gatsby Benchmarks
Develop a Strategic Careers Plan to ensure that the careers programme has clear backing from the leadership team and integrate into the institutions broader development plan, aligning it with key goals and priorities to give it the necessary authority and resources. Access the Understanding how to create a Strategic Careers Plan resource to support with this.
Develop a careers programme that is responsive to learner needs, with provision sequenced progressively and underpinned by learning outcomes. Access the Understanding how to develop progressive and responsive careers provision (Careers Learning Journeys) resource to support with this.
Make sure everyone knows which way you’re heading – ensure all stakeholders understand your careers programme by using these careers learner journey roadmap templates to present it in a visual way
Gather input from learners, parents and carers, teachers, other staff, Careers Advisers and employers on how well the careers programme is working. Use the CEC guidance on survey creation and access the survey template resources to easily capture stakeholder feedback. Review the feedback and data to continuously improve the careers programme. Access the Understanding how to effectively evaluate your careers provision resource to support with this.
Support headteachers, senior leaders and governors to understand the strategic value of careers provision. Get started today with your Careers impact internal leadership review.
Use the handy Parental Engagement Checklist as a guide to establish and maintain effective parental engagement in your setting. You can effectively record parental engagement in Compass+. Read this Help Centre article to find out how.
Ensure that the Careers Leader and all other relevant staff, including SEND teams, access the free training offer from the CEC.
Education Leaders and Governors:
Education Leaders and Governors: For further information on each Benchmark, to support you in your role, please see the Education Leader, Secondary and College Governor Guides.
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Careers Leader training
Transform your careers programme and develop your skills as a Careers Leader to strategically embed careers in the curriculum.
Careers guidance and access for education and training providers
In this resource you can find the link to the Statutory Guidance and the CEC at a glance guides for schools and college leaders and training providers.
Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit: Schools, Special Schools & AP
The Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit for Schools, Special Schools and Alternative Provisions provides practical information and guidance on the updated Gatsby Benchmarks .
Careers Statutory Guidance: At a glance guides for school, college and ITP leaders
This resource provides an overview of the responsibilities of schools and colleges outlined in the publication ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers'.
Careers Impact System peer-to-peer review
The Careers Impact peer-to-peer review is an expert-facilitated, collaborative process that brings external challenge to strengthen careers leadership and improvement planning. It supports institutions to test their thinking, refine priorities, and embed high-quality careers provision across the system.
Your Child's Future Resources
Your Child's Future is due for national release in Compass+ with a phased rollout from week commencing the 29th June 2026. Find out more about the questionnaire here!
Understanding how to develop progressive and responsive careers provision (Careers Learning Journeys)
This guidance provides Careers Leaders with steps to map and enhance their current careers provision that is underpinned by learning outcomes to support learners to make aspirational and informed decisions, make effective and sustained transitions and to develop career readiness skills.
Understanding the role of the Careers Leader: A guide for secondary schools
The government's Careers Strategy means that all schools and colleges should have a named Careers Leader in place. This guide explains the role and how it can work in your institution.
Careers Leader Induction: Free Online Learning
Careers Leader Induction: Free Online Learning
Guided Learning Hours: 2-4 hours
Primary Career Resources
Career-related learning in primary schools includes activities designed to give pupils a wide range of experiences of education, transitions and the world of work.
Understanding the role of the Careers Leader: A guide for Independent Training Providers
This guide for Independent Training Providers explains what careers leadership in looks like and how it could be led and managed within your setting.
Benchmark 1: Suggested universal career-related learning outcomes
This resource suggests a set of learning outcomes that could underpin your universal careers provision.