Statutory guidance

Careers guidance and access for education and training providers

Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on providing careers guidance.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 25 March 2015
• Last updated: 23 June 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 23 June 2026

     Updated 'Careers guidance and access for education and training providers' to reflect recent education and skills policy developments. These include the government’s approach to work experience, qualifications reform and Ofsted inspection changes. We have also included updated evidence and new tools and resources for schools, colleges and independent training providers.

  2. 8 May 2025

     'Careers guidance and access for education and training providers' has been updated to reflect changes in legislation. The format has also changed.

  3. 5 January 2023

     'Careers guidance and access for education and training providers' has been updated to reflect changes to the provider access legislation. Updates have also been made following a consultation on proposed changes to the ‘access for education and training providers’ section.

  4. 31 August 2022

     'Careers guidance and access for education and training providers' has been updated to reflect the changes to the careers legal duty that come into force on 1 September 2022.

  5. 15 July 2021

     Updated 'careers guidance and access for education and training providers'.

  6. 16 October 2018

     Added updated guidance document.

  7. 5 January 2018

     Updates to careers statutory guidance for schools, reflecting policy changes announced in the Government's careers strategy published on 4 Dec 2017.

  8. 12 April 2017

     Updated information about the new single national careers quality award (paragraph 67).

  9. 25 March 2015

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Careers guidance and access for education and training providers

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Details

This statutory guidance is for:

• governing bodies
• school and college leaders
• careers leaders and staff in maintained schools
• academies
• free schools (including alternative provision academies and free schools)
• colleges (that provide secondary education and post-16 education)
• local authorities that maintain pupil referral units

It applies to:

• all pupils in school from year 7 to year 13
• all learners in college up to and including the age of 18
• learners aged up to 25 with a current education, health and care plan in place

Statutory guidance is issued by law. You must follow it unless there is a good reason not to.

The Careers & Enterprise Company will provide external support to schools and colleges.