What can we learn from other countries about career guidance for working people?

Significant efforts are being made to expand and improve the career guidance available to young people in England, and to those adults who are unemployed. But supporting people already in work is equally important. Their career decisions shape not only their own prospects, but the ability of businesses, sectors and regions to respond to changing skills needs and seize new opportunities. With over 80% of the 2030 UK workforce already in work[1], what more could be done to help people already in work prepare for change, and be more confident about their career choices?

New research from the International Centre for Guidance Studies (ICEGS) at the University of Derby, funded by Gatsby, looks at how other countries approach this challenge. International approaches to career development for working people examines practice in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and South Korea. It identifies practical lessons for how career guidance can better support adults already in work to progress, retrain and respond to changes in the labour market.

Across all nine countries, findings show that career development support is more developed for both young people in education and adults who are out of work than it is for people already in employment. But the research also highlighted pockets of practice that show how working adults can be reached and supported effectively.

These examples include universal careers services, community-based provision, support delivered through both employers and trade unions, and guidance connected directly to opportunities for learning and training. Some countries are also using digital and AI-powered tools to extend the reach of services. Despite differences between countries, three clear lessons emerge:

• Awareness and access are key. Support needs to be visible, recognisable and available in ways that fit around working lives, using a mix of place-based, workplace and online routes.
• Career guidance works best when it is connected to the wider skills system. Employers, trade unions, sector bodies and training providers can help reach working adults and connect guidance to learning and progression opportunities.
• Digital can extend reach, but professional guidance remains important. Across the examples studied, technology is most effective when it complements, rather than replaces, professional career guidance.

We will use the research to shape our local pilot activity in England, testing different approaches to career guidance for people in work.

“The value of this research is that it takes us beyond identifying the gap and starts to show what good support for people in work could look like.

There is a lot we can learn from what other countries are already doing. The findings point to practical ways to help working adults make good career decisions and move into new opportunities. That matters for individuals, but also for employers looking for the right skills and for wider economic growth”

Beth Jones, Head of Education Programmes

The pilots will build evidence about what works in practice and the role career guidance can play in supporting workforce mobility, local skills priorities and economic growth. This evidence can also inform wider discussions about the place of working adults within England’s evolving careers and employment system.

For more information, get in touch: tom.shirt@gatsby.org.uk

Download the full report

[1] Department for Business and Trade (2024) Invest 2035: The UK’s modern industrial strategy.