Good career guidance for adults: lessons from around the world

For over a decade, the Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance have helped transform the career guidance young people receive in schools and colleges across England. But careers decisions don’t end at 18, they continue throughout our lives, often during times of change or challenge. Our work with adults is rooted in the same belief that has guided our work from the start: that high-quality career guidance can make a meaningful difference whatever someone’s age or stage.

With this in mind, we’re pleased to share two publications – Good Adult Career Guidance: International Case Study Evidence, which explores valuable lessons from international best practice, and National Careers Service and Further Education Co-location, which looks closer to home at one of the roles FE colleges play in England’s career guidance system.

Why good career guidance for adults matters 

When career guidance is used throughout a person’s lifetime, they can make informed decisions at key points, for example when entering the workforce or when upskilling or changing careers.

On an individual level, quality career guidance helps people secure and progress in stable, fulfilling work, contributing to their prosperity and overall wellbeing. On a societal scale, it plays a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness of the national skills system, reducing unemployment and underemployment, boosting productivity and driving social mobility.

International insights 

Our new international research, conducted by SQW and Professor Tristam Hooley of the International Centre for Guidance Studies, looks at best practice in seven counties: Estonia, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Denmark.

The research underscores the crucial role of public employment services in supporting job seekers, not only by helping the unemployed find work but by expanding their services to support other groups, including those already in employment. Many public employment services also collaborate with employers to assist with recruitment and provide ongoing employee support.

The case studies in the report provide interesting examples from across all seven nations. Here’s just a small snapshot:

• In Freiburg, Germany, services are embedded in the community, with outreach taking place in public spaces like the city library. Local people are trained by careers practitioners to raise awareness of the service within their own communities.
• A localised approach also proved successful in the ‘Jobs Victoria’ pilot which successfully broadened reach to people not currently using services – including Indigenous First Nations people, people with disabilities and women returning to work – through locally delivered, partnership-based services.
• In Flanders, Belgium, we heard about the effective use of incentives for those in employment. Individuals can proactively invest in their career development by accessing subsidised career guidance support through Career Vouchers.
• In Finland, Trade Unions offer specialised services, including job search, career planning and wellbeing support, that is highly valued because of the unions’ occupational and sectoral expertise.

Key features of effective adult career guidance 

This research identified several prominent features common across the international systems that were profiled, including:

• Vision and leadership – national visions for guidance are clearly articulated in policy, supported by multiple government departments, and aligned to implementation plans.
• National and local delivery – services are delivered by respected providers at both national and local levels, helping to meet the needs of a diverse population.
• Clearly understood and accessible services – clear referral systems between services help people access the right support at the right time, in a way that works for them, including both online and in-person options.
• Labour market data – quality assured data, used nationally and provided regionally, underpins advice and services to ensure information provided to adults is up to date and services meet the needs of the economy.
• Professionals – career guidance is delivered by a range of appropriately trained and deployed professionals.

Delivering a national service on a local level 

Related research, conducted by York Consulting, explores one example on the theme of ‘national and local delivery’ – specifically the extent and nature of co-location of National Careers Service support in England’s Further Education (FE) colleges.

As vital and trusted local hubs for education and training, FE colleges are well-placed to contribute to an effective, accessible career guidance system. This research suggests that while co-location is not widespread – fewer than 10% of colleges in England have established relationships with a National Careers Service contractor – there are clear benefits to both colleges and careers service providers.

Colleges engaged in co-location report that collaborating with the National Careers Service enhances their capacity to meet adult learners’ career guidance needs, reinforces their role as community anchors, and supports local workforce development. A key takeaway is the importance of shared objectives and performance indicators; these are essential to ensuring that resources are used effectively when services are delivered in a co-located setting.

Join the conversation 

We are keen to collaborate with partners to further explore the themes above. If you are interested in discussing these insights or the reports, please get in touch: careersguidance@gatsby.org.uk.

Our good career guidance for adults programme

Good Adult Career Guidance and National Careers Service and Further Education Co-location are the latest publications in a programme of research which aims to better understand what good career guidance for adults looks like. Other research includes an analysis of market size in relation to a typology of adult career guidance needs and an exploration of the Careers Adviser workforce. You can read more about these other programme strands here.

Download the Good Adult Career Guidance report here and the National Careers Service and Further Education Co-location here.