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Autumn 2023 briefing on the Gatsby Benchmarks review

Published in November 2023, an interim update on the Gatsby Foundation’s work on securing the next ten years of careers guidance for young people.

Read Gatsby’s autumn 2023 update

Read the briefing

The Gatsby Benchmarks were introduced in 2014, as part of the Good Career Guidance report which was based on international evidence of good practice in career guidance. Schools and colleges have made significant progress towards achieving the Benchmarks since their national adoption in 2018.

Given the changes to education and the labour market that have taken place since 2014 we’re now looking to the future and listening to the sector to ensure the Gatsby Benchmarks  continue to have impact over the next ten years.

This briefing presents an interim update on this project and headline findings of an extensive consultation exercise, including a survey of 1,200 education and business stakeholders which found that:

  • The Gatsby Benchmarks are universally supported – 94% see them as a valuable framework for career guidance.
  • Every Benchmark is highly valued as part of the overall framework – the value placed on each of the eight Benchmarks individually ranges from 96% to 99%.
  • The vast majority (88%) of secondary school and college leaders say that the Benchmarks have had a positive impact on their students.

We have heard that the benchmarks are valued, have impact, and that stability going forward is critical. We have also heard lots of reflections about how to ensure career guidance continues to evolve to have  even more impact on young people in the next decade.

Our Gatsby journey began in 2018 with the benchmarks providing the launch pad for our careers strategy. Five years on and the framework of the benchmarks continues to be our bedrock, simply because they work – our young people are benefiting greatly from them. Also, beyond our college, they have now become a platform for collaboration across the colleges in Greater Manchester, helping to create a culture of quality careers guidance for FE throughout the city region.

Anna Dawe, Principal and Chief Executive, Wigan and Leigh College