Government continues to support Good Career Guidance 

Last week, the new Government confirmed its intention to include the refined Gatsby Benchmarks in statutory guidance. Here, Gatsby's Head of Career Programmes, Beth Jones welcomes the announcement.

On 18 November Gatsby was delighted to launch the Good Career Guidance: The Next 10 Years report, including the updated Gatsby Benchmarks for 2024 and beyond. 
It was a moment to celebrate the energy and expertise of thousands of stakeholders who are working to improve careers guidance for young people, and the hundreds who supported the review process.  

I am pleased to say that The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister for Skills, has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the Gatsby Benchmarks as the bedrock of their strategy to provide high-quality careers guidance to all young people. This was reflected in the announcement on the day that statutory guidance will be published in the Spring to enable schools, colleges, and independent training providers  to embed the new framework into their careers programmes from September 2025. 

The updates to the eight Benchmarks have been made after careful consideration of the evidence and extensive consultation, spanning nearly two years. I am confident that, once implemented, they will lead to even greater positive impact on young people’s life chances.  The report is packed with real examples of the groundbreaking practice we have seen in action in schools, colleges and ITPs across the country over the course the review. It includes a carefully laid rationales for the review itself, what in the eight benchmarks is staying the same, and what is changing. These changes were nearly two years in the making and will take time to review and digest.   

We hope that all who support career guidance will read the report, consider the updates, reflect on their own practice, and start to consider how the changes could lead to even greater impact..  

The updated benchmark framework, rationale for changes and examples of impressive practice are available in the new Good Career Guidance: The Next Ten Years report on the Gatsby Benchmarks website.  

For further updates, please email careerguidance@gatsby.org.uk