Dear partners and colleagues, 

You may be aware that the Department for Education (DfE) announced a market engagement last month to inform future careers education provision for young people from the 2027 academic year. 

The direction of travel points towards a system that combines a strong national careers body with strengthened local delivery. 

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) sees this as an exciting moment to build on the progress made to date and extend the impact of the current system. We also welcome the certainty of continued investment over the next 3–5 years, enabling more young people, regardless of background, to access the support they need to find their next best step. I have been involved in careers education for over 25 years, and seen different initiatives come and go. Having a longer-term, consistent mission is important for the benefit of our young people.    

I recognise that this development may create some uncertainty for partners and recipients of our work. I want to use this open letter to provide reassurance about our immediate priorities and future intentions. 

I want to be clear upfront; CEC welcomes the opportunity to bid to continue as the national careers body through any future tender process. After a decade of grant-funded delivery, it is right that DfE reviews the structures that will shape the next phase. This engagement offers a valuable opportunity to embed innovation and continuous improvement across the system. 

DfE has offered direction for what comes next, including sustained investment in local Careers Hubs, enhanced support for young people facing additional barriers, increased awareness and uptake of vocational and technical pathways and deeper employer engagement to enable meaningful work experience. These priorities align closely with the current model and reflect the proven impact delivered through the collective efforts of national and regional partners.  

In the meantime, we remain fully focused on our mission: ensuring every young person benefits from a world-class careers education. CEC will continue to deliver on its commitments as the national careers body under our current grant agreement with DfE. Our priorities include: 

  • Driving adoption of the updated Gatsby Benchmarks to strengthen quality and consistency.  
  • Maintaining Careers Hubs at the heart of local economies, working closely with Strategic and Local Authority partners.  
  • Capturing and acting on insights from young people to keep provision relevant to their needs.   
  • Strengthening links between education and employers, by expanding access to modern work experience, aligned to priority sectors that are vital to the Industrial Strategy and local skills. 
  • Enabling increased awareness of apprenticeships and technical education pathways amongst young people. 

Above all, we will continue to embed careers education across the system, starting early, to help prioritise young people who need the most support. Learners in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and those in Alternative Provision settings will remain at the forefront of our work, and we will play our part in supporting the Government’s efforts in NEET prevention.  

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment. 

John Yarham