The Gatsby Foundation commissioned Sir John Holman to research some pragmatic approaches to improving Careers Provision in schools and Colleges. There are pilots across the country looking at the best ways to deliver excellent high quality careers provision and we will be letting you know how the outcomes of these as they progress. Gatsby has subsequently identified 8 benchmarks that taken together make great careers provision.

It is clear that there is no single ‘magic bullet’ for good career guidance: it is about doing a number of things, identified in the benchmarks, consistently and well.

Sir John Holman

Greater Manchester supports the benchmarks and will endeavour to support you to meet them. The Good news is, if you are progressing through Inspiring IAG or have achieved it the award has been mapped against the benchmarks!

If you are a little confused about the difference between these benchmarks and a quality award then think of it like this: Gatsby is the recipe and the quality award is the method with Mary Berry doing the taste test!

Here are the 8 Benchmarks:



1. A Stable Careers Programme

2. Learning From Career and Labour Market Information

3. Addressing the Needs of Each Student

4. Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

5. Encounters with Employers and Employees

6. Experiences of Workplaces

7. Encounters with Further and Higher Education

8. Personal Guidance