SKILLS CRISIS
Yet adult careers support in England is largely concentrated on people who are unemployed, in education or able to pay privately.
The National Careers Service offers help through its website, online chat, telephone line and some face-to-face provision, but a 2025 review commissioned by the Gatsby Foundation found that its funding model prevented it from providing a universal face-to-face service.
From October 2026, the National Careers Service is due to merge with Jobcentre Plus in England. The BCC says this could integrate employment support and careers advice more effectively, but also cautions that it could reinforce the perception that the service exists only for adults who are out of work.
Its proposed remedy is face-to-face National Careers Service support for every adult in England, regardless of employment status.
The principle is important: career guidance should not arrive only at a moment of crisis. It should help people recognise where their skills can be put to better use, understand how their role may change and make informed decisions about retraining or progression.
When that support is missing, the cost is borne by both individuals and the economy. Existing skills can go unused, workers can struggle to keep pace with technology and businesses find it harder to plan for future workforce needs.
The investment squeeze
The report is clear that employers have responsibilities, too. Businesses already invest in training, apprenticeships, work experience and mentoring, and many want to do more.
But, the BCC argues, investment decisions are shaped by the costs, incentives and stability of the system around them.
Its analysis of 11 factors affecting an average mid-sized firm found that domestic policy-driven costs had risen by more than 70 % over a decade.
In its 2026 Workforce Survey, 38 % of firms said they had scaled back recruitment as
STUART ELFORD
a direct result of the National Living Wage rise in April, while 17 % had reduced staff training budgets.
The danger is that training and outreach are among the first budgets to be squeezed when employment costs rise. Investment in young people may also feel riskier at precisely the point when more opportunities are needed.
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