Employer Standards 2024/25 - The business case for engaging in careers education

High-quality engagement in careers education delivers real business value. At a time of rising pressures in costs and capacity, employers who work strategically to engage with learners and build their skills see benefits through stronger talent pipelines, reduced recruitment costs and greater early careers diversity. 

Employers face increasing challenges in finding, developing and retaining early-career talent. Evidence from the Employer Standards shows that employers who engage strategically in careers education see clear business benefits including stronger talent pipelines, reduced recruitment costs and greater early careers diversity. 

Employers play a critical role in shaping the future workforce. When young people connect with employers through meaningful, well-designed careers education, they build essential workplace skills, expand professional networks and gain insight into real job opportunities. For employers, this engagement is not simply social value activity it is an increasingly important workforce development strategy. 

Insight 1: Engaging in careers education positively impacts recruitment, workforce diversity and talent pipelines 

• Careers education supports core workforce development opportunities, particularly when outreach is aligned with recruitment and assessment practices. 
• 83% of business owners and senior leaders say that well-designed work experience is an effective way to attract entry-level employees. 
• Employers that help young people practise application processes are 51% more likely to report increased applications to their business. 

Insight 2: Focusing outreach on building essential skills is a cost effective way of developing future talent 

• The future workforce needs strong essential workplace skills, yet many employers face operational constraints. 
• Analysis from the Employer Standards shows that when work experience is intentionally designed around essential workplace skills, it becomes an engine for talent development.  
• Modern work experience is a cost-effective way to build essential workplace skills and secure a stronger return on investment for employers that fosters skills in the workforce that can flex and adapt to new and emerging priorities. 

Insight 3: Adopting a strategic approach leads to scale and impact 

• The strongest returns on investment emerge where employers have a clear strategy and build sustained relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Long-term collaboration with the same schools, special schools, colleges or activity providers to deliver work experience makes employers 29% more likely to report that young people apply for roles in their organisation. 
• Employers who embed this work into business plans report that young people become more career ready as a result of their engagement.  

The industry snapshots below explore how sectors at the core of the UK’s Industrial Strategy ¹ are tackling challenges and often thriving despite them: 

• Creative Industries 
• Construction 
• Digital and Technologies
• Financial Services 
• Health and Social Care 
• Hospitality 
• Manufacturing 
• Professional Services 
• Retail 

These snapshots provide more details about how sector-specific approaches are strengthening talent pipelines, addressing skills shortages and delivering long-term workforce benefits. 

References

1. Clean Energy and Defence sectors are also part of the Industrial Strategy; however, the small number of employers in these sectors that submitted an assessment meant that a representative report could not be produced. As more employers from these sectors begin to use the tool, our intent is to report on these sectors in future.