CEC response to Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper
21 Oct 2025
The Government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, published this week highlights that “High-quality careers guidance and work experience are crucial in harnessing the talents of young people from all backgrounds to meet the skills needs of the future.” And lays focus on “Identifying, tracking and supporting young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.” We agree. You can’t build a world-class skills system without world-class careers education.
Careers education is where aspiration meets opportunity, where all young people begin to see themselves in the economy of the future. It’s the first, crucial step in inspiring every student about what’s possible, helping them make informed choices about their next steps, and ensuring those choices align with local and national skills needs.
We’re already connecting the dots between careers and skills in practical, scalable ways:
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Connecting schools with local employers through our 44-strong Careers Hubs – 4,100 business volunteers and 400+ Cornerstone Employers bringing work to life for young people across England.
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Piloting a new model of work experience, linked to skills and pathways, to support the Government’s ambition of a work experience guarantee for every young person.
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Bringing the world of work into the classroom, helping teachers link curriculum lessons to local labour market needs, and extending careers inspiration into primary education to challenge stereotypes early.
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Boosting awareness of technical and vocational routes, building a universal digital offer for schools and supporting their delivery of Provider Access Legislation to widen access to apprenticeships and T Levels and now V levels.
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Using data to drive change, with 94% of schools and colleges reporting on their provision and the largest-ever student voice dataset, over 300,000 young people sharing insights on their skills, aspirations, and readiness for work.
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Tackling disadvantage head-on, supporting NEET prevention strategies and closing the gap in career readiness for all young people across the country.
By connecting young people’s ambitions with the skills our economy needs, we can build a system that’s both fair and future-ready.
As the White Paper sets out the next phase of the UK’s skills journey, careers education must sit firmly at its foundation. Only when every young person can see their place in the future economy can we take our next best step.
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