Proportion of schools/colleges achieving zero,
half and all benchmarks, 2017-19
Zero
10%
1%
2%
7%
2017 (N=578)
21%
2018 (N=3,092)
2019 (N=3,351)
16%
At least half (4+)
All or nearly all (7 or 8)
18%
20%
37%
Source: State of the Nation 2019, The Careers &
Enterprise Comprise Company
“If a few people are seen as the
ambassadors, everyone else can have a
tendency to say, ‘it’s not my problem, someone
else is doing it’. You want every member of
staff to engage in some ways; you want
everyone to talk about careers.”
Careers hubs
Many schools are benefiting from regional
careers hubs (groups of 20-40 secondary
schools and colleges in a dedicated area which
work together to deliver the Gatsby
Benchmarks) established by the CEC to help
educators speed up progress towards meeting
the Gatsby Benchmarks. These have access
to funding and support, including bursaries for
Budget was
frequently cited
as a barrier to
delivering the
role effectively
GLOBAL ACADEMY, LONDON
Preparing young people for
careers in the creative industries
Established in 2016, London-based
secondary school Global Academy
specialises in teaching creative
media subjects. It is sponsored by
the media group Global, plus the
University of Arts, London.
“Our focus is very much about
getting young people prepared
for a career in the creative media
industry,” explains Jonathan Jacob
(pictured left), the academy’s head
of external relations and careers. I’m
fortunate as the careers leader.
Every thing we do, the whole
mentality around this building, is
about getting people ready for
a career.”
14 // STRATEGY SPOTLIGHT
individual schools and colleges for careers
leader training. Initially piloted by the Gatsby
Foundation and North East Local Enterprise
Partnership, North East Ambition, the hubs
bring together schools, colleges, employers,
universities, voluntary organisations and
training providers.
North East Ambition regional lead Matt
Joyce argues that the key to engaging teachers
in careers education is understanding their
busy workloads and demonstrating the
practical advantages, so that they “don’t see
‘careers’ as simply ‘another thing to do’, but as
an opportunity”.
Achieving this involves helping teachers to
make links with employers and integrate
careers learning into the curriculum.
Specifically, this should allow them to set work
“in an applied context so that students can
connect what they are studying in the
classroom with its application in the wider
world”, s ays Joyce. Problem solving,
communication and leadership are all
important employability skills that teachers
should integrate into lessons, he adds.
Including careers guidance within lessons
improves grades, stresses Thain. She cites
Motivated to Achieve research conducted by
the Education and Employers charity, involving
650 students. This found that those who had
careers sessions in schools with employers
were more likely to exceed their predicted
GCSE grades. English grades, in particular, were
boosted through such sessions.
In 2018, 82% of the school’s year
13 students secured roles in the
creative industries with firms
including the BBC, Facebook and
Global itself. Staff ensure that careers
support is embedded within the
wider curriculum, including within
traditional subjects. “For example,
using maths in planning a radio
show,” suggests Jacob.
He joined the academy from
Global (where he worked as a radio
producer and in sales roles), initially
running a weekly enterprise, careers
and business workshop. This
expanded into a wider careers leader
role, and he also teaches enterprise,
industry and radio production at the
school, reporting to the principal and
taking part in middle-management
teacher meetings.