Background
Transforming careers guidance in England
We work to improve the quality and impact of careers education for young people across England – developing national frameworks, supporting partnerships, and delivering campaigns that help every young person explore a full range of career pathways.
The Gatsby Benchmarks were developed in 2014 – setting eight clear standards for world-class careers education, based on extensive research in the UK and internationally. Now embedded in national policy, they guide careers provision across schools, colleges and training providers in England. In 2025, the Benchmarks were updated to reflect changes over the past decade and to ensure they remain relevant for the decade ahead. We continue to support their implementation through partnerships, research, and practical tools.
We also help parents and carers engage with education and careers through Talking Futures – a national campaign encouraging regular, informed conversations with their children, particularly about technical pathways. The campaign offers practical tips and resources to support decision making at key transitions.
Our work in adult careers guidance looks to support improved access to high-quality, relevant information for adults navigating career changes or retraining – ensuring that good guidance is available throughout life, not just at school.
Gatsby Benchmarks
The Gatsby Benchmarks are an evidence-based framework that defines world-class careers guidance for young people.
Adult career guidance
We aim to improve and simplify the support available, recognising that informed career choices require access to a trusted and effective infrastructure.
Talking Futures
Through Talking Futures, we are transforming how parents engage in careers education, providing resources that create meaningful conversations at home.
Featured reports
Good Career Guidance: The Next 10 Years
This report presents the latest Gatsby Benchmarks framework. It outlines what is staying the same and what updates have been made, referencing the evidence we used for each update, alongside examples of impressive practice we have seen in action
Author(s)
Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Good Adult Career Guidance: Summary Report
A summary report of international case study evidence into good adult career guidance
Author(s)
Jo Hutchinson, Tristram Hooley
Careers Adviser workforce 2024
A report for Gatsby from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) updating workforce analysis conducted in 2021: using latest Census and Ofqual data to examine workforce dynamics for careers advisers in England.
Author(s)
M Williams, E Pollard, A Clark
National Careers Service and Further Education co-location research
Qualitative research report by York Consulting, exploring the extent and nature of NCS and FE college colocation across England, including the delivery models used and key benefits, challenges and enablers.
Author(s)
Martha Julings, Philip Wilson
Labour market information and its use to inform career guidance of young people: an overview of the Labour Market Information System for Careers Guidance in England
Overview of mapping exercise of the Labour Market Information (LMI) system by the Institute of Employment Research at the University of Warwick.
Author(s)
Sally-Anne Barnes, Jenny Bimrose
External links
A world class careers system
Eight benchmarks to define world-class careers education, information, advice and guidance for young people in England, based on international evidence.
Transforming how parents engage in careers education
Parents and carers are the biggest influence on young people's career decisions, yet many lack confidence in discussing education and career pathways. Through Talking Futures, we provide resources that create meaningful conversations at home.
Promoting careers in technicians fields
A campaign to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.