The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has published a new report, Student Career Readiness in 2023/24, providing valuable insights into how young people are being prepared for future career success. Drawing from a remarkable sample of nearly a quarter of a million students, the report is the largest study of secondary schools in England to date. It captures perspectives from 1,109 education institutions, including mainstream schools, special schools, and alternative provision settings, spanning every region of the country.
The report is particularly exciting because CEC, like other sector leaders, use the Skills Builder Universal Framework to measure essential skills. Widely recognised as the leading way to assess essential skills, the Framework provides a structured and measurable approach to skills development. It breaks down eight essential skills—Listening, Speaking (sometimes called oracy), Problem Solving, Creativity, Staying Positive, Aiming High, Leadership, and Teamwork—into teachable steps, enabling educators to track and nurture progress over time.
By using the Universal Framework, the research not only provides a detailed picture of essential skills development but also enables these findings to be translated into actionable practices for educators. This shared approach across sectors makes the Framework a valuable tool for advancing skills research and adapting insights across other settings and studies.
What Does the Data Tell Us About Careers and Essential Skills Development in England?
The CEC Report highlights an important trend: a noticeable dip in skill development during the transition from primary to secondary education. This is a pattern we have also observed in our own research. In the Skills Builder Impact Report 2023, we noted that while students in primary school typically make consistent progress—averaging 0.57 skill steps per year—this progress slows dramatically upon entering secondary school, with negligible growth in essential skills for several years.
This lack of progress has significant implications, as the gap between the skills students leave school with and those required in the workplace continues to grow. One of the Skills Builder six principles for building essential skills effectively is "Start Early, Keep Going". Essential skills learning must begin early to provide a strong foundation and must continue consistently through primary and secondary education to prevent this gap from widening. The CEC findings strongly reinforce the need for this continuous, structured approach.
Moreover, the report highlights disparities among student groups. For example, only 51% of girls on Free School Meals (FSM) at age 16 feel confident discussing their skills in interviews, compared to 66% of non-FSM boys. This reinforces the importance of embedding essential skills in schools to ensure that all learners, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have equitable opportunities to build confidence and succeed.
The report’s findings also align with recommendations from the Gatsby Foundation’s Good Career Guidance Report, which recommends using the Universal Framework and highlights the benefits of starting this early. Programmes that do this have been shown to improve career readiness and reduce disengagement among young people.
Through structured programmes like the Skills Builder Accelerator, schools and colleges can effectively address these challenges. By embedding essential skills across teaching and learning, these programmes ensure sustained progress. This is reflected in the fact that students on the Accelerator Programme make 3.3 times more progress in developing essential skills compared to their peers. However, the broader takeaway is clear: starting early and maintaining focus on essential skills is crucial for equipping young people with the tools they need for lifelong success.
The CEC’s research provides an important spotlight on careers education and essential skills in our country. By working together, taking a shared approach to building essential skills, we can ensure that young people are equipped with the tools they need for lifelong success, setting them up for future career achievements and beyond.
