National Careers Week 2020

The Gatsby Career Benchmarks is a framework of eight guidelines about how to provide the best career advice in schools and colleges.

• A stable careers programme: every school and college should have a careers programme that is understood by students, parents, teachers, and employers.
• Learning from career and labour market information: students and parents should have access to quality information about future study and work opportunities. They will need support from an informed guidance councillor to clearly understand the information.
• Addressing the needs of each pupil: students have different guidance needs at different stages. Advice and support need to be tailored to each student.
• Linking curriculum learning to careers: all teachers should link curriculum learning to careers. For example, STEM teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM across a range of career paths.
• Encounters with employers and employees: students should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work and the skills needed in the workplace.
• Experiences of workplaces: students should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through visits, work shadowing, and work experience.
• Encounters with further and higher education: students should understand the full range of learning opportunities. This includes academic and vocational learning.
• Personal guidance: students should have opportunities for guidance interviews. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.