PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Secondary Education: Vocational Guidance (7 October 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of careers advice in secondary education; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that advice on the social mobility of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Asked by:
Karin Smyth (Labour)

Evidence shows that careers education is improving, as young people are benefitting from a new world-class approach to careers guidance. The department has invested in a careers infrastructure which is proven to accelerate schools and colleges' progress against the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance. The average number of benchmarks achieved by schools and colleges in Careers Hubs was 3.9, compared to 2.0 for those not in a Careers Hub and outside of the Enterprise Adviser Network. There is more progress to be made and we will continue to support schools and colleges to improve their performance against the benchmarks.

Schools and colleges serving disadvantaged communities are among the highest performers. For example, schools and colleges in the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership achieved 4.2 benchmarks on average in academic year 2018-19.

Careers education is effective in driving social mobility. From a survey carried out in 2018-19, 73% of young people who have taken part in careers guidance activities said that they are more aware of different careers and 69% said they were clearer about what they need to do to achieve their ambitions.

Answered by:
Gillian Keegan (Conservative)
16 October 2020