The updated Gatsby Benchmarks to be implemented in colleges

Ten years on from when they were first published, the Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers guidance are being implemented in over 4,700 schools and colleges across England.

Education Partnership North East (EPNE) were part of the Early Adopters of these benchmarks and following two years of research and stakeholder engagement, the Gatsby Benchmarks have been updated to ensure the next generation of young people benefit from the world-class careers provision they deserve.

The eight updated benchmarks (a stable careers programme, learning from career and labour market information, addressing the needs of each pupil, linking curriculum learning to careers, encounters with employers and employees, experiences of workplaces, encounters with further and higher education and personal guidance), were first developed in 2014 to define world-class careers education, information, advice and guidance for young people in England, based on international evidence.

Vikkie Morton said: “We attended the Good Career Guidance: The Next Ten Years launch event, where the Gatsby Foundation presented a first look at the updates to its Gatsby Benchmarks framework for schools, colleges and independent training providers (ITPs).

“It was great to get together with so many people who helped shape the changes to the benchmark framework to celebrate the progress that’s already been made and talk about what can be achieved in the decade to come.

“Careers guidance has come a long way since the benchmarks were introduced 10 years ago and has helped the delivery of impactful career guidance, which has transformed outcomes for young people.”

After extensive consultation and research, the updates made to the benchmarks will lead to improved outcomes for young people. All eight benchmarks have been retained but the descriptive and measurable elements have been amended where evidence showed these amendments would support further improvements to young people’s outcomes.

The updated benchmarks continue to give careers leaders the autonomy to design and deliver their own careers guidance programme.

The Gatsby Benchmarks have been adopted in government statutory guidance for secondary schools and guidance for colleges since 2018 and since then, national performance against the eight benchmarks has more than tripled.

All school engagement activities across EPNE’s colleges are aligned to Gatsby Good Careers Benchmarks, ensuring pupils in local schools have access to meaningful encounters that help them to make informed decisions about their career and next steps.

School engagement is much more than recruitment and EPNE’s school engagement approach reflects that, supporting local and national agendas with early intervention, inspiration and raising the ambition of young people and their families. Our approach is supportive, inclusive and knowledge based, aligning to regional skills needs.

The Gatsby Charitable Foundation works in close partnership with the Department for Education with government-funded support and infrastructure for careers in education, including The Careers & Enterprise Company and their resources and support for schools and colleges, allowing all young people to have equity of information, opportunity and experiences to help them make ambitious and fulfilling choices for their futures.