Key stage 4

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. 

Take advantage of this free, flexible teaching tool which provides ‘meaningful’ virtual video encounters in line with Gatsby Benchmark 5 for young people to explore a significant range of workplaces and ‘meet’ near peers to understand what their jobs are really like.

Skilledin is a curated resource of careers films for teachers to use in-lesson and for students to use independently. The short films bring subject skills to life by seeing them in action and answers the ‘when am I ever going to use this?” question.

This is now a free resource!

Careers Leader Induction: Free Online Learning

Guided Learning Hours: 2-4 hours

This resource suggests a set of learning outcomes that could underpin your universal careers provision.

This resource supports Careers Leaders to embed encounters with providers of all routes available to students at key transitions within a progressive and impactful careers programme. The guidance will support meaningful achievement of relevant Gatsby Benchmarks and of Provider Access Legislation. To support a meaningful approach to Benchmark 7 and to Provider Access Legislation (PAL), this resource is underpinned by the following guiding principles: 

• Start early to develop a progressive approach that allows for multiple experiences across all key stages
• Be intent and outcome lead
• Be responsive to learner need, evaluation data and regional/labour market context
• Commit to true advocacy and ensure equity of access to information and understanding
• Challenge misconceptions, stereotypes and assumptions head on 

This resource helps Careers Leaders effectively evaluate their careers provision using feedback from learners, parents and carers, subject staff and other staff who support learners (including Careers Advisers) to increase its impact. This resource also supports Careers Leaders to:  

• Collect, maintain and use accurate data for each learner on their aspiration, intended and immediate education, and training or employment destinations to inform personalised support (Benchmark 3) 
• Use longer-term data (including destinations data) as part of their evaluation process (Benchmark 3)  

Designed for young people who are neurodivergent or with SEND, Propel Pathways offers practical tools like an easy-to-use CV builder, cover letter support, and confidence-building workshops, including how to ask for workplace adjustments and advocate for their needs. It’s a supportive way to help prepare for employment, apprenticeships or further learning

Developed in partnership with Amazing Apprenticeships,  this digital resource is designed for Careers Leaders and teachers to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical pathways through careers-specific sessions.

This resource helps Careers Leaders create a strategic careers plan that ensures the careers provision:  

• Has explicit backing of governors, the headteacher and the senior management teams  
• Is linked to the whole school, special school or college development plan

This resource helps Careers Leaders to embed careers in the curriculum by supporting teaching staff to:  

• highlight the relevance of their subject and pathways to the world of work and careers  
• make links to careers from the curriculum  
• embed curriculum learning in the context of the world of work  

If you are looking to understand why you should take part in an internal leadership review, or you are supporting education leaders and senior staff to engage with the process, this collection of resources will help you get started and ensure the experience is purposeful and impactful.