Personal guidance
Every learner should have opportunities for guidance meetings with a Careers Adviser, who could be internal (a member of staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These meetings should be available for all learners whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all learners but should be scheduled to meet their individual needs. The Careers Leader should work closely with the Careers Adviser, SEND coordinator (SENDCO and other key staff to ensure personal guidance is effective and embedded in the careers programme.
What good looks like
School
- Every pupil should have at least one personal guidance meeting with a Careers Adviser by the age of 16, and a further meeting by the age of 18. Meetings should be scheduled in the careers programme to meet the needs of pupils.
- Information about personal guidance support and how to access it should be communicated to pupils and parents and carers, including through the school website.
Further Education
- Every learner should have at least one personal guidance meeting with a Careers Adviser. Meetings should be scheduled in the careers programme to meet the needs of learners.
- Information about personal guidance support and how to access it should be communicated to learners, parents and carers and other stakeholders, including through the provider website.
The resources below are designed to support you with Gatsby Benchmark 8. To explore all of the Gatsby Benchmarks in greater depth, download the toolkit that best aligns with your setting.
Work with key colleagues to identify and consider the timing and regularity of personal guidance. Robust systems should be in place to ensure that personal guidance meetings are responsive to learner need and scheduled appropriately. This resource will support with mapping and enhancing current provision.
For best practice in commissioning independent careers guidance services, use the CDI guide and ‘Find a Registered Career Development Professional’ tool on the CDI website.
Time spent with a Careers Adviser is valuable, so ensuring all involved, including parents and carers, understand its value and purpose is crucial to maximise impact. Access the CEC resources and support for parents and carers, including the FREE Parental Engagement in Careers CPD, to ensure parents and carers add value to your approach to personal guidance
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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The National Apprenticeship & Education Events
The National Apprenticeship & Education Events are designed to inspire school & college leavers, and other young adults, to discover more about career and further education opportunities.
Book your Free Student Places!
Compass Evaluation
The Compass evaluation has been updated in response to the updated Gatsby Benchmarks and statutory guidance.
Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and Transitions in Focus: A guide to support vision impaired children and young people
Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) has a range of useful resources for careers leaders and practitioners working with blind and partially sighted students in mainstream secondary schools and colleges.
Vocational Profiling
Supporting delivery of the Gatsby Benchmark and CDI Careers Framework.
Engaging education leaders in the peer-to-peer review process
Resources to help you understand the value of taking part in a peer-to-peer review, or to support education leaders in engaging meaningfully with the process.
Line Manager Guide: Careers for Apprentices
A guide to support independent training providers working with employers to deliver high quality careers within apprenticeships. This short guide sets out how employers can help contribute to delivery, providing top tips for helping to meet the Gatsby benchmarks.
What’s your strength?® cards – Celebrating neurodivergent strengths
An interactive card activity made in collaboration with neurobox. The cards have been designed for neurodivergent individuals, or those who support them, to explore strengths; and organisations striving to be more neuroinclusive.
This is a costed resource.
Exploring University
Developed by Inspiring Worcestershire.
In this document you will be able to understand which are the leading universities locally, the degrees which are most popular, as well as the degrees which have the highest success rates in terms of securing future employment.
The guide also provides details of the leading universities which specialise in degrees relating to certain sectors.
Creating a CV SEND activity
Developed by the Inspiring Worcestershire Careers Hub team these activities will provide SEND students with an understanding of how to write a CV.
Worcestershire Inclusive Employment - Your Pathways Magazine
This magazine aims to act as your guide as both you and your young person navigate the working world: providing answers to your questions, giving you helpful tips and activities, and linking you to various resources for more information.
Post 16 Options Directory
WhereCanIStudy.co.uk is a free online directory designed to help Year 10+, Year 11s, NEETs, and adults explore courses up to Level 3.
Guide for Education Leaders in schools and colleges
For Education Leaders, highlighting the value of holistic careers education in providing solutions to key leadership challenges including disengagement from learning, falling attendance, and meeting the needs of disadvantaged or vulnerable learners, and young people with SEND.