Government’s new Careers Strategy unveiled: Inspire!’s response

The government unveiled a new Career Strategy last month, outlining plans to boost careers advice and guidance provision.  The Strategy introduces new guidelines as well as a £4 million support fund for schools and colleges.  

Inspire! welcomes the government’s emphasis on high-quality careers guidance for social mobility. The report sets out a vision for “a stronger, fairer society in which people from all backgrounds can realise their potential.” This reflects the vision that guides our work: empowering young people to reach their full potential, realise their ambitions and build fulfilling careers and lives.  

While some schools are already on their way to meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks for Excellence in Careers Provision, many are struggling, with a fifth not achieving any benchmarks. Our programmes provide schools with much-needed support and a range of interventions, helping them to fulfil the government’s objectives and bring the world of work to life for young people. This includes: 

Offering multiple encounters with employers throughout school and college:  

A young person who has four or more encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to become NEET*.  The Strategy sets a new target: by 2020, schools should offer every young person seven encounters with employers.

Inspire! connect schools with a wide range of employers. Our secondary programmes introduce young people to multiple business volunteers, and work experience placements help them access a wide range of industries. With our support, schools can not only meet but easily surpass the targets.   

Helping students to access non-traditional progression routes 

With a record number of apprenticeships and new T-levels introduced, schools’ guidance must be up-to-date and relevant.  

Inspire! help young people to make the most of changing opportunities in the labour market. We run specialist programmes such as Apprenticeship Clubs to help students access alternative progression routes.  

Introducing careers guidance from an early age 

Careers guidance in primary schools is a relatively new priority for the government.  The report states that myths surrounding gender and background must be dispelled from an early age.  

Inspire! have long recognised the importance of early introductions to work. Our primary programmes  introduce real workers and workplaces to children aged 3-11. As well as connecting the classroom with the outside world, our diverse volunteers challenge perceptions of who should do what job.   

Supporting disadvantaged or vulnerable young people:   

The government identifies current support for young people with SEND or other needs as inadequate.  

Our Additional Needs programmes offer tailored support for vulnerable young people at risk of being left behind. Our intervention has made a real impact, with 88% of Bounce Back participants securing full time education, training or employment, and 92% of Inspired Directions school leavers entering college in 2017.

Providing enterprise education: 

With more people than ever running their own business, enterprise education is stressed as an important part of careers provision. 

We inspire young entrepreneurs through various enterprise-focused programmes, such as CCB, where students learn the process of setting up and managing a business.   

With 94% of our participants becoming more aware of pathways to reach their career goals in 2017, we are confident in our ability to support the government’s ambitions. Our primary and secondary school teams can provide advice and tailored support to ensure your careers guidance programme is up to the mark.   

For more information on our offering to schools and colleges, please get in touch.  

*Education and Employers Taskforce, 2012