29 November 2025
Young people face uneven quality and availability of careers guidance
Young Lives, Young Futures research into education, training and employment opportunities for young people in England found variances in the availability and quality of careers guidance support.
Young Lives, Young Futures is supported by King’s College London, Economic and Social Research Council and Edge Foundation, and is a large research study looking at the education, training and employment opportunities for young people in England who don’t go to university.
In addition to a survey of 10,000 young people from across England, the rese4arch included analysis of national-level data on student destinations and 500 in-depth interviews with young people, practitioners and policymakers.
Findings included that school can feel like a ‘hostile’ environment for many young people, Covid has impacted on their post-16 transitions, transitions through vocational and technical education can be disjointed, there are distinct barriers to non-university routes and young migrants face additional challenges.
The report also called out an uneven quality and availability of careers information, advice and guidance. It states that many young people lacked access to impartial advice from professionally qualified careers advisers, especially for those outside the school framework. There were also concerns that advice from teachers and careers staff still reinforced the traditional academic routes.
Read the Young Lives, Young Futures findings.
Young Lives, Young Futures is supported by King’s College London, Economic and Social Research Council and Edge Foundation, and is a large research study looking at the education, training and employment opportunities for young people in England who don’t go to university.
In addition to a survey of 10,000 young people from across England, the rese4arch included analysis of national-level data on student destinations and 500 in-depth interviews with young people, practitioners and policymakers.
Findings included that school can feel like a ‘hostile’ environment for many young people, Covid has impacted on their post-16 transitions, transitions through vocational and technical education can be disjointed, there are distinct barriers to non-university routes and young migrants face additional challenges.
The report also called out an uneven quality and availability of careers information, advice and guidance. It states that many young people lacked access to impartial advice from professionally qualified careers advisers, especially for those outside the school framework. There were also concerns that advice from teachers and careers staff still reinforced the traditional academic routes.
Read the Young Lives, Young Futures findings.
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