DfE Careers Guidance Update: What You Need to Know for 2025

DfE Careers Guidance Update: What You Need to Know for 2025

The Department for Education has released its updated statutory guidance on careers provision — and there’s a lot for schools, colleges and careers leaders to take in before September 2025.

This is more than a refresh. It's a clear expectation that all secondary and FE institutions adopt a fully embedded, strategic and inclusive approach to careers education.

Key Changes in a Nutshell

• Updated Gatsby Benchmarks: Reworked to emphasise leadership, equity, data use and parental involvement
• Work Experience Guarantee: Two weeks’ worth of workplace experience during Key Stage 3 and 4
• Stronger Accountability: Careers guidance now plays a greater role in Ofsted inspections
• Clear Legal Duties: 6 encounters with providers across Years 7–13 and mandatory personal guidance sessions

Updated Gatsby Benchmarks: What's Different?

While the core 8 benchmarks remain, the updates bring them into sharper focus for modern learners and evolving labour markets.

“Every young person deserves to understand the full range of opportunities available to them — including vocational, technical and academic routes.” – DfE, 2025

• Leadership-led: Careers must be part of your school or college improvement plan
• Inclusion-first: Greater focus on disadvantaged pupils and SEND learners
• Parental engagement: Schools must actively involve parents and carers
• Data-driven: Institutions should track aspirations, encounters and destinations

What You Need to Do Before September

• Review and publish your careers programme on your website — with a named careers leader
• Plan and record six provider encounters from Year 7 to Year 13
• Deliver two personal guidance sessions — one by age 16, another by 18
• Embed career-linked learning in every subject (Benchmark 4)
• Track and analyse destinations data to refine support and interventions

How Career LinkED Supports You

Career LinkED is already built with these new expectations in mind. Here’s how we help you meet the benchmarks and stay inspection-ready:

• Benchmark 4 Ready: Instantly link your curriculum to real-world jobs
• Track Engagements: Record encounters, work experience and guidance sessions
• Data Insights: Tools to track progress and prepare for Ofsted or governors
• Resource Library: Mapped labour market info, employer case studies and more

Get Ready — and Stay Ahead

With the countdown to September 2025 underway, now’s the time to review your approach, fill the gaps and embed careers deeper into your school's culture. Let Career LinkED be your strategic partner in delivering outstanding careers guidance.

Start strong. Stay compliant. Transform careers learning.