This section is designed to help education staff access relevant, up-to-date resources for supporting with future readiness. Here, you’ll find:

• Good news stories celebrating successes in careers education across Creating Tomorrow sites
• Links to upcoming events that inspire and inform
• Classroom resources to enrich your teaching.

Across Creating Tomorrow we have taken the approach to create a shared terminology for 'careers education' that can be a point of reference across all our sites -  primary, secondary and  FE. At Creating Tomorrow you will find this being referred to as 'Futures or Future Readiness' 

The term careers can unintentionally feel narrow and only relatable to any young person that is on an employment pathway.  For many learners and with the changing cohorts, we are keen to ensure we come up with a terminology suitable for all, and why we felt the need to 'future-proof' the language.

Future Readiness is deliberately broader and more inclusive. It recognises that:

• Every learner has a future worth preparing for

• Success looks different for different individuals

• Preparation for adulthood is not limited to paid employment

The word careers can carry unhelpful assumptions, and for some they may feel like this is not appliable to them. Future Readiness allows us to meaningfully support all pathways, and we hope is a terminology that all stakeholders, families, staff, learners and outside support can understand.

Other terminology used can include; employability skills, soft skills, work-readiness, enterprise skills or character education.

It has also common apparent that it is easy for 'careers' education/future readiness' to set on the shoulders of only a few individuals, however it is a whole school responsibility so this enables:

• Curriculum-wide integration

• Age-appropriate preparation from early years through to post-16/25

• Greater staff confidence in contributing, regardless of role

This supports sustainability, shared ownership, and consistency across sites.

While national frameworks (e.g. Gatsby Benchmarks) sit under the banner of careers education, they are designed to be applied "where relevant and meaningful" This applies to all of our learners up to the age of 25, because they have an EHCP.

Future Readiness:

• Still aligns with statutory and best-practice guidance

• Allows flexibility in interpretation for SEND contexts

• Supports evidence-based decision-making when certain benchmarks or activities are not appropriate

We hope this this shift does not lower expectations. Instead, it reframes ambition in a way that is:

• Person-centred

• Strengths-based

• Realistic but aspirational

Future Readiness recognises that preparing for adulthood is about equipping learners with the skills, confidence, and understanding they need to thrive, whatever their future looks like.

Transition Support

It is our duty as educators to support learners by helping them prepare for life after education, and transition support is key to this. Within your settings, you will have appointed staff members that specialise in this area, and will be able to give tailored support to young people and their families. Here are some helpful resources to help guide and tailor conversations when thinking about next steps with young people.

Promoting All Pathways 

My Journey My Future

My Journey My Future SEND version

Talking Futures

 

Supporting Framework and Guidance

Your school or college’s Careers Leader can explain how careers education is delivered within your setting. Below are some of the key frameworks you may come across when working with education:

• Skills Builder identifies eight essential employability skills (such as teamwork, communication and problem-solving) and provides a clear framework to help schools and employers develop these skills in young people.
• The Gatsby Benchmarks are eight nationally recognised standards that define what good careers education looks like in schools and colleges. Employers often support these through activities such as workplace visits, employer talks and work experience.

• The Careers and Enterprise Company: A government-funded organisation that supports schools, colleges and employers to improve careers education. CEC provides tools, guidance and the Employer Standards to help businesses engage with education in a meaningful and structured way.

• The CDI Framework (Career Development Institute): The national framework for career guidance in England. It sets out what high - quality, impartial career education and guidance should include at different stages of a young person's journey.

• National Careers Strategy:  The government’s strategy for improving careers education and guidance, ensuring young people have access to clear pathways, employer insight and labour market information.

• Preparation for Adulthood (PfA): A framework focused on outcomes for young people with SEND, covering employment, independent living, community inclusion and health. Many schools align careers activity to this approach.

Planning Curriculum Visits and real work projects

 Curriculum visits and project-based learning offer valuable opportunities for young people to experience workplaces and engage with employers in real, meaningful ways. These activities help students see everyday environments through a world of work lens.

For example, a visit to a supermarket to buy ingredients for food technology could also include:

• Exploring different departments

• Talking about job roles and responsibilities

• Having a short conversation or informal interview with a member of staff

These small additions take very little extra time but help young people understand how learning connects to real jobs and workplaces.

Similarly, attending a theatre performance may include the option of:

• A behind-the-scenes tour

• A workshop

• A Q&A with staff about the different roles involved in running the venue

With a small amount of additional planning, many everyday activities can become powerful career learning experiences.

At Creating Tomorrow, we actively promote learning beyond the classroom, giving young people regular opportunities to explore a wide range of sectors, workplaces and employer environments. These experiences help bring learning to life, build confidence, and support young people to make informed decisions about their futures.

The Careers & Enterprise Company's Resource Directory 

A wide selection of resources for a range of audiences that support learners at all levels. There are subject-specific resources, research & reports and training and development. Resources have been created and carefully curated by practitioners and partners. 

The Resource Directory is free to use and there is no log-on, or registration required to access

Here are some other helpful links to support your work:

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