National Careers Week

A letter from The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP about National Careers Week.

Dear parents, carers and guardians,

This week is National Careers Week, and as the Minister for Higher and Further Education, I am
writing to let you know about the many high-quality education and training options there are available
to your child after they finish their GCSEs and once they turn 18. This follows a recent letter you may
have received from the Minister for Skills about all of the great apprenticeship opportunities there are
available.

In my role as a Minister, I have been able to speak to a lot of young people who have all taken
different paths after school or college to their chosen job or career. What so many of them had in
common was good, early careers advice – providing an insight into the different careers there
are out there – from construction and engineering to digital technology and childcare – and helping
with those important decisions on what step to take next.

There are now so many exciting, high-quality education and training options available to
young people. From T Levels that have been designed with employers to high quality
apprenticeships in hundreds of occupations, traineeships and innovative new Higher Technical
Qualifications, alongside A levels and university.

I know that navigating what is out there in terms of education and training options for your child
and taking that next step can seem overwhelming, which is where great careers advice comes in.

Here are some other useful resources that may help:

  • You can get tips on how to have a career conversations with your child on the Talking Futures website. It is designed to give you the information you need to have informed conversations with your child about what they want to do in the future.
  • All the different training pathways are set out on the ‘Get The Jump’ Skills for Life section of the National Careers Service website, which has been designed for young people to help them work out their next move. This has information about all the different education and training pathways and shows how they compare and where they can lead to.
  • You can also see over 800 job profiles on the National Careers Service website, with important information on things like salary levels, typical responsibilities and the best route into each job or career.
  • Every school and college has a Careers Leader who will be able to support the conversations you are having with your child.

It is my priority to ensure that young people know about all the opportunities available to them so
they can make an informed choice about their future. I hope your child gets some time to consider
their future during National Careers Week and that these resources will be useful to you too.

Yours faithfully,

The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP
Minister of State for Higher and Further Education