Career Education as a 'golden thread' through the curriculum: the key to empowering the next generation?

Yesterday the Department for Education and Professor Becky Francis met with staff and students in Birmingham and showcased what they would want to change about the curriculum and assessment system.

primary school children looking at a laptop

It was great to see that Professor Becky Francis has called for evidence from stakeholders as part of her review of curriculum and assessment. As an experienced career development professional now working with brands to create career education-focussed programmes, it was heartening to note that on the ‘call for evidence’ launch video shared on LinkedIn, the very first request from the first student on the video was for more career advice, demonstrating that the Department for Education sees this as a priority.

However, yesterday I attended the Youth Employment Group meeting where the findings of the Youth Census were shared, which highlighted that career exploration activities are down this year for young people in secondary school and although work experience is on the up (particularly for 14-16 year olds), still only 36% of students are getting a work experience placement. It’s clear that there is still a long way to go.

I believe we need a curriculum that utilises career education as a golden thread from Primary, all the way to Higher Education. Research shows thar children start forming ideas about which jobs are ‘for them’ from as young as six years old. We must get in there and challenge those stereotypes before young people rule themselves out of entire industries by the time they reach secondary school. They need to be aware of, and fully understand, the breadth of opportunity that could form their future.

Ensuring that the next generation feel hope towards and can make informed choices about their future arguably doesn’t sit with just one person, but if we can shift it to be a core part of the school curriculum from primary school onwards, I believe that would go a long way in addressing some of the anxieties our young people are feeling about their next steps.

At We Are Futures, we work with businesses such as McDonald’s, NatWest, and bp to engage young people at key decision points across the career starter journey. Our programmes not only provide crucial skills development for young people but also support entire sectors and companies in driving awareness and attraction to fill their future talent pipelines. If you're a teacher or careers leader looking to embed careers education into your curriculum, sign up to the National Schools Partnership for access to a wide range of exciting resources, competitions, and games that help students make informed choices about their futures.