Policy References

Why do we need Career Hubs?

House of Commons, Business, Innovation and Skills and Education Committee Report, July 2016

“Careers education, information, advice and guidance in English schools is patchy and often inadequate. Too many young people are leaving education without the tools to help them consider their future options and how their skills and experiences fit with opportunities in the job market. This failure is exacerbating skills shortages and having a negative impact on the country’s productivity”.


Technical and Further Education Act 2017

“The proprietor of a school in England must ensure there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access pupils during the relevant phase of their education for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education, qualifications and apprenticeships”. “In future Ofsted inspections Ofsted must comment on the quality of a college’s career provision.”


The Government’s Careers Strategy (Dec 2017)

The  Government’s Careers Strategy (Dec 2017) set out a series of measures to be implemented 2018-20 to improve careers guidance in England, acknowledging a need for more independent information, advice and guidance for young people on the education and employment options and future opportunities available to them.

By the end of 2020, the strategy intends that all schools and colleges will have access to an Enterprise Adviser. Schools should also offer every young person seven encounters with employers (at least one each year from years 7 to 13), with support from the Careers and Enterprise Company. Their State of the Nation report on progress (Nov 2018) shows that 900 schools and colleges are achieving only 2.7 out of the 8 national Careers Education Benchmarks (Gatsby Benchmarks). Qdos Career Hubs are here to support schools and young people to broaden their knowledge of study and career routes.

The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance:
1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

Industrial strategy January 2017

“Our improved education and skills system must be supported by high-quality careers provision. We know that young people who are uncertain or unrealistic about career ambitions at the age of 16 are three times more likely than their peers to spend significant periods out of education, employment or training And teenagers who have direct experience of the labour market (such as through careers talks at school), earned more in adulthood than those who missed out.”


Students have little knowledge of the working environment and face difficult career decisions in making options in Year 9 and making decisions on whether an academic, technical or apprenticeship route is the best pathway to suit their needs. They rely on family, friends and the school to help them make life changing decisions. Students are often unsure about the protocols of obtaining a job and struggle to find out ‘who to’ and ‘how’ to apply for a job.
This is where the Qdos Career Hub can help, sharing current guidance on career opportunities you may not have thought exist or were available to you.


The National Curriculum in schools in not naturally aligned to career routes or steps to work- it’s hard for young people to see the practical application of what they’re studying to real life. Parents may not be familiar with how much careers and job opportunities have changed. For example:

  • How many 13 year olds (or their school-based career advisers) will know about careers in cloud technology, cyber security or data analytics, and the routes to get there? Yet, they will make decisions about which GCSEs they sit at this age and shape their futures.
  • How much do you know about our gig economy and how to work in it?
  • Did you know that the built environment involves building houses and bridges with 3D printers and highly skilled project managers are in short supply?
  • Have you considered the 200+ careers in health and care, in all professional disciplines, not just nursing or medicine?

A regional hub provides access a wider range of employers and universities, as they don’t have the time to visit each individual school and college.