What We Do
The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is the national body for careers education in England, supporting schools and colleges to deliver modern, 21st century careers education. Our mission is to help every young person find their best next step.
We are driving a system of support for young people that has:
- A well understood and near universally adopted framework at its heart – the Gatsby Benchmarks
- Careers Leaders, professionally trained who can use data and student feedback to run dynamic and impactful programmes
- Education leaders who see the importance of careers education and champion the work
- Teachers and parents who are often the first port of call for young people, included in careers conversations and equipped to help with confidence
- Targeted, intensive support for those young people who face the most barriers
- Local networks to connect schools and colleges to businesses and apprenticeship providers, offering meaningful experiences to students and teachers alike
- Careers education in the mainstream of school and college life and an important part of the local skills and economic agenda.
Find out more about our impact
Our priorities
Our core strategic priorities are to:
- Raise the quality of careers provision in schools, special schools and colleges against the Gatsby Benchmarks through training for the education workforce, targeted support and quality assurance
- Drive more high-quality experiences with employers for students and teachers – with a focus on current ‘cold spots’
- Amplify apprenticeships, technical and vocational routes – including by supporting the implementation of the Provider Access Legislation (PAL)
- Focus on interventions for economically disadvantaged young people (FSM) and those who face most barriers – through identifying and addressing the needs of specific cohorts
- Connect careers provision in schools and colleges to the needs of local economies – as articulated through Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs).