24 July 2026
DfE and DWP launch joint careers policy and delivery newsletter
The two government departments with joint responsibility for career development, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), have launched a new Careers Strategic Stakeholder Newsletter on careers policy and delivery.
This follows the establishment of a joint Careers Policy and Delivery Forum, which DfE and DWP launched earlier this year, bringing together key career development and related organisations, including the CDI.
The newsletter will be issued quarterly and aims to ‘keep the wider careers sector informed, connected, and engaged with strategic priorities, policy developments, and opportunities to shape the future of careers support.’
You can sign up to the newsletter by emailing [email protected]. As there isn't a link to a PDF version, we have reproduced the first newsletter below, which has resulted in some changes to the formatting:
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This follows the establishment of a joint Careers Policy and Delivery Forum, which DfE and DWP launched earlier this year, bringing together key career development and related organisations, including the CDI.
The newsletter will be issued quarterly and aims to ‘keep the wider careers sector informed, connected, and engaged with strategic priorities, policy developments, and opportunities to shape the future of careers support.’
You can sign up to the newsletter by emailing [email protected]. As there isn't a link to a PDF version, we have reproduced the first newsletter below, which has resulted in some changes to the formatting:
---
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| Welcome Welcome to the inaugural Careers Strategic Stakeholder Newsletter, bringing together key updates and insights from across the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on careers policy and delivery. Issued quarterly, this newsletter reflects our shared “one voice” approach between DfE and DWP, providing a clear, joined-up view of developments affecting both young people and adults. It aims to keep the wider careers sector informed, connected, and engaged with strategic priorities, policy developments, and opportunities to shape the future of careers support. As government transitions to new leadership, we recognise that colleagues and partners may have questions about future priorities. Our focus remains on supporting high-quality careers provision and work experience. We will keep partners updated on any future policy developments relevant to our work. We hope this new newsletter proves a valuable source of information and insight, helping to strengthen collaboration across the careers sector. We look forward to working with you over the coming months and sharing updates on the collective efforts underway to improve careers support and outcomes for people of all ages. All the best, Jane Hubbuck (Deputy Director, Career Readiness, DfE) Catherine Craig-McFeely (Deputy Director, Skills, Careers and Employers Policy, DWP) New leadership announced Our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has appointed Lucy Powell as Education Secretary and Pat McFadden will remain as Work and Pensions Secretary. Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern will remain as Minister of State in the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions. All other ministerial appointments and portfolios will be announced over the coming days here: Ministerial Appointments: July 2026 – GOV.UK. Dame Sarah Healey has also taken over as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions, succeeding Sir Peter Schofield who has stepped down. We look forward to working closely with ministers and their teams as they take forward the government’s priorities. DfE and DWP will continue to engage regularly and share updates on key careers policy developments as they emerge. Get Britain Working – an update on the Jobs and Careers Service The recently published Get Britain Working: an update on the Jobs and Careers Service – GOV.UK provides a comprehensive update on all aspects of the Jobs and Careers Service (JCS), and how it will help more people to find stable work and progress in their careers. It also addresses specific areas where we committed to provide further detail to the Work and Pensions Committee, following our response to two inquiry reports last year. The JCS will be digital where possible, human where needed and we have launched early versions of new digital tools, known as the Work Hub, available for everyone to access now. We have launched an AI conversational tool which helps customers identify their skills and steps they could take to find a job or progress in their career, an action plan tool which supports customers to meet their goals, and a CV builder, which allows customers to input their experience, qualifications, skills and strengths to create an application-ready CV. They can be found on GOV.UK Investment in careers adviser professional development announced Careers advisers across England will benefit from enhanced continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities following the procurement of a provider to lead a new programme to support excellence in careers guidance. The DfE is delighted to announce that Transform Your Training, registered as Taye Training and Consultancy Ltd, has been awarded the contract to deliver the new national careers adviser continuing professional development (CPD) programme. Transform Your Training brings extensive experience in designing and delivering high-quality professional learning that supports practitioners to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence, strengthening professional practice. Through an engaging, evidence-informed and practice focused approach, the programme will help careers advisers strengthen their practice, respond to emerging developments across education and skills, and continue delivering high-quality careers guidance to individuals of all ages. Tammy Banks, Chief Executive Officer at Transform Your Training, said: “We are proud to work alongside the Department for Education to bring our evidence-led, trauma-informed training methodology delivered by facilitators with professional and lived experience, to careers professionals across England. We believe that when learning is engaging, psychologically safe and rooted in real world practice, it doesn’t just develop practitioners, it creates lasting impact for the people and communities they support.” By investing in professional development, the programme aims to ensure careers professionals are equipped with the latest labour market intelligence, policy developments and best practice approaches, supporting the delivery of high-quality careers guidance across England. The procurement forms part of a continued commitment to raising professional standards within the careers sector and ensuring individuals receive impartial, informed and impactful careers support throughout their education and employment journeys. The programme will begin with national launch conferences in autumn, followed by a comprehensive programme of continuing professional development and an ongoing community of practice. Further information, including conference dates and participation arrangements, will be shared ahead of delivery commencing. You can sign-up for updates and be the first to hear about the programme here. Digital Education Record for Year 11s – National Pilot As you may have seen in the press, the DfE has launched a national pilot of the Education Record, a secure mobile app that gives pupils lifelong access to verified education information, including GCSE results. Over time, records will expand to include achievements from further education and training, creating a single trusted source of educational information. Education Records are designed to streamline the educational journey for pupils as they transition from Year 11 to sixth form, Further Education (FE) institutions, or other training providers. For clarity, schools will not need to collect or transfer any data to support this. What Schools Need to Do All secondary schools are encouraged to participate. To issue Education Records, schools will need:
To get started, schools need to set up their access using DfE Sign-In. The DfE Sign-In approver / super-user will need to add the Issue Education Record service and the ‘Issue Education Record – Data Issuer’ role to the DfE Sign-in account for all members of staff who will be issuing the education records. Schools can them start by going to Issue education records. Benefits for Pupils and Schools Education Records contain accredited data issued by the DfE. GCSE and vocational results will automatically appear in the app from 11am on results day, reflecting the same status as pupils’ paper results slips. The initiative will help reduce reliance on paper certificates, support applications and enrolment, improve engagement with post-16 pathways, and reduce stress for pupils. Over time, the connection between pupils and schools will also provide stronger destination and progression data for schools. Mobile Phones Pupils may briefly use mobile phones in school when accessing their Education Record, under an exemption to existing guidance on phone use. Help us improve how education records work for schools by signing up to provide feedback on education records. Subject Content published for the first V Levels (L3) and Level 2 qualifications On Thursday 16th July, the DfE published the subject content for the first V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates in: V Levels:
The list of qualifications has been finalised that will have 16-19 funding approval removed from 1st August 2027, alongside policy statements in relation to continued funding for Access to HE Diplomas for those aged 18 and above, and our plan to scope the potential for a new T Level in Habitat Management, which means we will maintain 16-19 funding approval for large qualifications in Land and Wildlife Management and in Countryside Management: Level 2 and 3 qualifications to have 16 to 19 funding approval removed in 2027 – GOV.UK The DfE have also published a Post-16 Pathways Support pack – T Levels support for schools and colleges resource pack for providers and careers development professionals which includes materials to support CEIAG conversations on the new qualifications. These include progression and pathway examples and explainer flyers, posters and videos. DfE summer careers publications The DfE has published three publications this term to continue supporting high-quality careers education and drive meaningful enrichment experiences for young people. The enrichment framework published on 15th June will help schools and colleges provide high quality enrichment opportunities for all students. It aims to guide schools and colleges in planning and improving activities beyond the classroom for the benefit of every student. The framework is intended to support students’ personal development by building skills like teamwork and confidence, improving wellbeing and engagement, preparation for life and work, while ensuring that enrichment is delivered consistently and effectively across education settings. Our updated statutory guidance on careers guidance and access for education and training providers reflects what we know works best in practice, including the importance of progressive, high-quality careers and work experience programmes and strong partnerships between education and employers. Updates include references to recent policy developments (including the Curriculum and Assessment Review and qualifications reform), strengthened expectations around work experience and provider access, new tools and data to support delivery, and updated evidence and examples of effective practice. Finally, the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) published the first national dataset on compliance with the Provider Access Legislation (PAL), as part of its new report on supporting young people to understand and take up apprenticeships and technical pathways. This data shows encouraging progress across all key stages since the legislation was strengthened in 2023. The proportion of schools where the majority of learners received (or were offered) the required encounters increased (64.9% at Key Stage 3, 80.5% at Key Stage 4 and 80.9% at Key Stage 5 in 2024/25) with reporting rates also increasing significantly over the same period. CEC’s report also highlights the contribution that schools, providers, employers and careers hubs are making to improving awareness and understanding of apprenticeships and technical pathways. Collectively, these publications reinforce the expectation that schools and colleges meet high standards in careers education, information, advice and guidance Further support available is set out in the publications referenced. We would be grateful if readers could review and share the resources through their networks. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Launch of the Aspiring Pathways programme Supporting the Government’s ambition to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), the DfE recently launched an £8.5 million investment to expand work experience opportunities for young people in alternative provision through the Aspiring Pathways programme, led by the Careers & Enterprise Company. Warren’s story was showcased at the launch and illustrates the positive difference work experience can make to young people’s future employment outcomes: Wannabe sparky Warren inspires struggling youngsters with his heart-warming success – Specify Magazine We hope that this information has been useful and please do forward to colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please contact: [email protected] |
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