Spotlight on the New Gatsby Benchmarks: Key Updates You Need to Know
For those who aren’t aware The Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s 2024 report, "Good Career Guidance: The Next 10 Years," reaffirms the relevance of the original eight Gatsby Benchmarks for career guidance while introducing several key updates to enhance their effectiveness.
We’ve summarised those key updates for you so you don’t have to:
Enhanced Employer Engagement: The updated benchmarks place a stronger emphasis on meaningful interactions between students and employers, advocating for more frequent and diverse engagements to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of various career paths.
Integration of Digital Technologies: Recognizing the evolving digital landscape, the benchmarks now encourage the incorporation of virtual work experiences and online career resources, ensuring students are adept at navigating digital platforms relevant to their future careers.
Focus on Inclusivity: The revisions underscore the importance of tailored career guidance for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), promoting equitable access to career opportunities and support.
Alignment with Labour Market Trends: The benchmarks have been updated to reflect current labour market information, guiding students towards sectors with high demand and future growth potential.
Strengthened Evaluation Mechanisms: There is a renewed focus on assessing the impact of career guidance programs, encouraging schools and colleges to implement robust evaluation methods to measure outcomes and inform continuous improvement.
Increased emphasis on engagement with parents and carers: For a careers programme to be most effective, parents and carers should know about the programme, what it will cover, what resources are available to them and how they can access support. Schools will be required to evidence how they’ve engaged parents and carers throughout their programme.
You might be wondering, "How do these updates impact me as an employer?" Here are a few key ways they might:
Increased Engagement Opportunities: Employers are encouraged to participate more actively in educational settings, offering work experiences, mentorship programs, and career talks to help students gain practical insights into wide range industries.
Adoption of Digital Platforms: With the integration of digital technologies into career guidance, employers may need to develop virtual engagement strategies, such as online internships or webinars, to connect with students effectively.
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: Employers should ensure their engagement initiatives are accessible to all students, including those with SEND, by providing appropriate accommodations and support.
Alignment with Educational Objectives: By aligning their outreach efforts with the updated benchmarks, employers can contribute to a more informed and prepared future workforce, benefiting both students and the broader economy.
These updates aim to create a more dynamic and inclusive career guidance framework, fostering stronger collaborations between educational institutions and employers to better prepare students for the evolving world of work.
Did you know?
Students completing programs aligned with these benchmarks see a 20% improvement in career readiness, boosting their confidence in making future career decisions.
What makes an encounter meaningful?
Under Benchmark 5, meaningful encounters must:
Be purposeful, with clear learning outcomes.
Enable two-way interaction.
Reflect diverse industries, sizes, and self-employment trends.
Include preparatory and reflective support for all participants, particularly vulnerable or SEND students.
To stay ahead of these updates and ensure your career guidance programs are impactful, follow We Are Futures. Or if you want more information in navigating the evolving education and employment landscape then get in touch and send us a message.
Key links:
https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/programmes/good-career-guidance-the-next-ten-years
https://www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/
https://www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/11/gatsby-summary-for-leaders-schools.pdf