In November 2024, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation published its landmark report, ‘Good Career Guidance: The Next 10 Years’, introducing the first significant updates to the Gatsby Benchmarks since their inception. Following this, the Department for Education (DfE) released updated statutory guidance in May 2025, confirming that all schools, colleges, and Independent Training Providers (ITPs) in England are expected to adopt these refreshed benchmarks from September 2025. [1]
For Careers Leaders and Senior Leadership Teams (SLT), this marks a critical moment. While the core framework of the eight benchmarks remains, the updates introduce important refinements that demand a strategic review of current careers provision. The changes are not just tweaks; they represent an evolution in our understanding of what world-class careers guidance looks like, with a stronger emphasis on leadership, inclusion, meaningful experiences, and the use of data.
This article provides a comprehensive guide to these changes. We will explore what has been updated, what remains the same, and provide a practical checklist for what your school needs to do to ensure you are ready for September 2025 and beyond.
The State of Play: A Decade of Progress
Before diving into the changes, it is worth acknowledging the remarkable progress made. A decade of the Gatsby framework has transformed careers guidance in England. As of the 2024/25 academic year, 96% of schools and colleges are now part of a Careers Hub, and the national average achievement has more than tripled from 1.9 benchmarks in 2018 to 6.0 out of 8 today. [2]
This progress is more than just a compliance exercise. Research from The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) shows that high-quality careers provision has a tangible impact, with students in schools achieving all eight benchmarks being 8% less likely to become NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). [3] The updates are designed to build on this strong foundation, not to dismantle it.
The Five Big Themes of the 2024 Gatsby Update
The changes introduced in ‘Good Career Guidance: The Next 10 Years’ can be understood through five overarching themes that run through the updated framework. [4]
1. Careers at the Heart of Leadership. The updates place a much stronger emphasis on careers guidance as a whole-institution endeavour. It is no longer just the Careers Leader’s responsibility; it must be embedded in the school’s strategic vision, with clear and distinct responsibilities for governors, SLT, and all staff.
2. Inclusion and Impact for Every Young Person. There is a reinforced focus on tailoring programmes to the needs of each individual student. This means paying particular attention to vulnerable or disadvantaged young people and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to ensure no one is left behind.
3. Meaningful and Varied Encounters. The language has shifted from simply having encounters to ensuring they are ‘meaningful’. The updates provide, for the first time, a formal definition of what ‘meaningful’ looks like for both employer encounters (Benchmark 5) and workplace experiences (Benchmark 6), emphasising quality, preparation, and reflection.
4. A Sharper Focus on Data. The role of data has been elevated. Schools are now expected to collect and use data on student aspirations and intended destinations to personalise support. The focus is on using information, not just providing it.
5. Engaging Parents and Carers. The framework now formally recognises the crucial influence of parents and carers. The updates embed their engagement into planning and specify the need to share information with them and support them in having constructive career conversations with their children.
What Has Changed? A Benchmark-by-Benchmark Breakdown
While the eight benchmark titles remain the same, the measurable criteria within each have been refined. The table below summarises the most significant changes you need to be aware of.
| Benchmark | Key Changes in the 2024 Update |
| BM1: A Stable Careers Programme | The programme must now be explicitly linked to the institution’s overall strategic plan. The roles of governors, SLT, and the Careers Leader are more clearly defined, with the expectation that the Careers Leader has protected time and a dedicated budget. Parent and carer engagement is now a required component of the programme plan. |
| BM2: Learning from Labour Market Information | The focus shifts from simply providing access to Labour Market Information (LMI) to actively using it to inform student decision-making. Data collection is expanded to include student aspirations to better tailor support. |
| BM3: Addressing Individual Needs | Personalisation is paramount. The update mandates the systematic collection and use of data on student aspirations and destinations to tailor support. Records of careers activities must be maintained and, crucially, transferred when a pupil moves school. |
| BM4: Linking Curriculum to Careers | The expectation is now that every teacher in every subject should be linking curriculum learning to careers every year. Careers education should be a formal part of the staff development programme. |
| BM5: Encounters with Employers | A formal definition of a “meaningful encounter” is introduced. It must have a clear purpose, allow for two-way interaction, and be followed by reflection. The variety of encounters is also stressed, covering different sectors and employer sizes. |
| BM6: Experiences of Workplaces | This is the most significantly updated benchmark. A new, more rigorous definition of a “meaningful experience” is introduced, which must include the student performing a task, interacting extensively with employees, and receiving feedback. The requirement is now for multiple experiences by age 16 and a further one by age 18. This benchmark is now directly aligned with the government’s new Work Experience Guarantee. |
| BM7: Encounters with FE/HE | Similar to Benchmark 5, the definition of a “meaningful” encounter has been expanded to ensure quality and impact. |
| BM8: Personal Guidance | The role of the qualified careers adviser is strengthened, with the DfE stating it expects headteachers to invest in professional, personal guidance. |
Deep Dive: The New Definition of ‘Meaningful’ (Benchmarks 5 and 6)
The introduction of a formal definition for ‘meaningful’ is one of the most important changes in the 2024 update. For too long, careers provision could be a passive experience for students. The new guidance makes it clear that interaction, preparation, and reflection are non-negotiable.
According to the DfE’s statutory guidance, a meaningful encounter (BM5) or experience (BM6) must now: [5]
- Have a clear purpose, shared with the student and employer beforehand.
- Be underpinned by specific learning outcomes appropriate to the young person.
- Involve significant two-way interaction between the student and employees.
- Be followed by dedicated time for the student to reflect on what they have learned.
For Benchmark 6, the definition goes further, requiring that the experience includes the student performing a task or producing a piece of work, and receiving direct feedback from the employer. [6] This moves firmly away from passive observation towards active, purposeful participation.
The Work Experience Guarantee: Aligning with Benchmark 6
The strengthening of Benchmark 6 is directly linked to the government’s new Work Experience Guarantee. This policy sets an ambition for every young person to have the opportunity to take part in two weeks’ worth of high-quality work experience during their time in secondary school: one week during Key Stage 3 and one week during Key Stage 4. [1]
The scale of the challenge should not be underestimated. Currently, only 49% of pupils complete an average of five days of work experience before leaving secondary school, and just 2% manage to complete two weeks. By aligning the definition of a meaningful workplace experience in Benchmark 6 with this guarantee, the DfE is signalling a clear direction of travel. Schools that successfully implement the updated Benchmark 6 will be well-placed to deliver on this national priority when the guarantee comes into full effect.
What Schools Need to Do Now: A Practical Checklist
With the changes becoming statutory from September 2025, the time to act is now. The following checklist is designed to guide your preparations across the key areas of change.
Leadership and Strategy (Benchmark 1)
- Review and update your careers plan to ensure it explicitly links to your overall school improvement plan, with the written backing of SLT and governors.
- Define and protect the Careers Leader role with a formal job description, protected time, and a dedicated budget.
- Formalise how you will engage parents and carers as a documented part of your strategy, not an ad-hoc activity.
Data and Tracking (Benchmarks 2 and 3)
- Implement systematic tracking of student aspirations and intended destinations. Tools such as Compass+ can support this, but a clear process is now essential. For schools already using the Enterprise Skills platform, the Human Skills Index provides granular, evidence-based capability data for every student, giving you a richer picture of individual progress than destination tracking alone.
- Review your record-keeping to ensure you are maintaining systematic records of each student’s careers activities and the advice they have received.
- Establish a process for transferring careers records when a student leaves your school.
Curriculum and Staff Development (Benchmark 4)
- Conduct a whole-school audit of curriculum links to careers. Where are the connections being made? Where are the gaps?
- Plan a programme of continuing professional development (CPD) for all teaching staff to equip them with the confidence to link their subject to careers. This is now an explicit expectation.
- Benchmark 4 remains the lowest-scoring benchmark nationally due to the coordination complexity involved. Prioritise this area.
Encounters and Experiences (Benchmarks 5 and 6)
- Audit your current employer encounters and workplace experiences against the new “meaningful” criteria. Do they involve two-way interaction, preparation, and reflection?
- For workplace experiences, check whether students are performing tasks and receiving feedback from employers, as now required by the updated BM6 definition.
- Begin planning how you will meet the ambition of two weeks of work experience for every student, building a broader and deeper network of employer partners.
How Enterprise Skills Can Help You Meet the Updated Benchmarks
Navigating these updated requirements can feel daunting, especially for already stretched careers teams. At Enterprise Skills, our platform is designed to be a strategic partner in delivering high-quality, evidence-based careers education that aligns directly with the 2025 framework.
While no single platform can address all eight benchmarks, our Human Skills Index and simulation-based tools provide a powerful and efficient solution for the most challenging aspects.
Meeting Benchmark 3 (Addressing Individual Needs): Our platform provides automated tracking of student progress against eight core, employer-validated capabilities. The Human Skills Index gives you the granular data needed to personalise support and provide Ofsted-ready evidence of impact for every single student. Find out how our scoring methodology works.
Meeting Benchmark 4 (Linking Curriculum to Careers): For business students, our simulations are directly mapped to every UK exam board syllabus, automatically delivering on Benchmark 4. Our tools provide a ready-made way to bring curriculum concepts to life in a careers context, saving teachers hours of planning time and helping you address what is consistently the lowest-scoring benchmark nationally. Explore the full platform at Skills Hub Workforce.
Supporting Benchmarks 5 and 6 (Meaningful Encounters and Experiences): While virtual simulations do not replace in-person interaction, they provide a crucial supporting role. Our simulations offer every student a meaningful, interactive experience where they practise making real-world decisions, perform tasks, and receive instant feedback, perfectly aligning with the new ‘meaningful’ criteria for preparation and reflection. They are the ideal complement to your live employer encounters and physical work placements, ensuring every student arrives prepared and ready to make the most of those opportunities.
By integrating Enterprise Skills into your careers programme, you can save over 40 hours of planning time and 20 hours of evidence compilation per year, delivering a return on investment that far exceeds the cost. [7]
Learn more about how Enterprise Skills helps you meet the Gatsby Benchmarks → /gatsby-benchmarks/
Related Resources
Enterprise Skills serves a range of audiences beyond schools and colleges. If you are an employer looking to develop the same capabilities in your workforce, or a training provider seeking to differentiate your programmes with measurable outcomes, the following resources may be relevant.
- HR and L&D Directors: Move beyond completion rates to department-level capability evidence. Explore Skills Hub Workforce for organisations.
- Team Managers: Develop your team’s capabilities in 20 minutes, not 2 days. See how the team dashboard works.
- Training Providers: Give your clients what every other provider cannot: proof of impact. Explore partnership models.
- Human Skills Index for Training Providers: Integrate measurable capability scoring into your programmes. View the Human Skills Index for training providers.
An Opportunity for Deeper Impact
The 2024 Gatsby Benchmark updates are not about adding more to your plate. They are about focusing on what truly matters: the quality and impact of your careers provision on every single student. By embracing the renewed focus on leadership, inclusion, meaningful experiences, and data, schools have an opportunity to move beyond compliance and deliver a careers programme that genuinely prepares young people for their future.
The journey to September 2025 started the moment the updated framework was published. By taking a strategic, whole-school approach now, you can ensure your careers provision is not just ready for the new framework, but is set to deliver a deeper, more lasting impact for years to come.
References
[1] Department for Education. (2025, May 8). Careers guidance and access for education and training providers. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools/careers-guidance-and-access-for-education-and-training-providers
[2] The Careers and Enterprise Company. (2025, September 22). Insight briefing: Gatsby Benchmark results for 2024/25. https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/evidence-and-reports/insight-briefing-gatsby-benchmark-results-for-202425/
[3] The Careers and Enterprise Company. (2025). Our Impact 2024/25. https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/who-we-are/what-we-do/our-impact-202425/
[4] Gatsby Charitable Foundation. (2024, November). Good Career Guidance: The Next Ten Years. https://www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/understanding-the-gatsby-benchmarks/
[5] Gatsby Charitable Foundation. (n.d.). A guide to Gatsby Benchmark 5. Gatsby Benchmarks. https://www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/guide-to-gatsby-benchmark-5/
[6] Gatsby Charitable Foundation. (n.d.). A guide to Gatsby Benchmark 6. Gatsby Benchmarks. https://www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/guide-to-gatsby-benchmark-6/
[7] Enterprise Skills Ltd. (2026). Gatsby Quick Reference Sales Guide. Internal Document.
