Why?

Evidence briefing: the impact of career-related learning

Attainment

Evidence suggests that well-designed career-related learning (CRL) may contribute to academic attainment, particularly when it is sustained and integrated into the curriculum.

Evans and Burck’s meta analysis of 67 studies found that career education interventions produced a small, positive average effect on academic achievement. Pupils appeared to benefit most when careers content was integrated within subjects, and delivered over time. A second meta analysis found a broader positive effect from career education interventions. These pooled effects indicate an association across the studies included; they do not establish that CRL alone caused the observed differences, particularly because intervention design, implementation, and comparison conditions varied.

The evidence does not show that a single careers event will raise test results. A plausible mechanism is that repeated connections between curriculum learning, real life applications, opportunities, and the skills needed for different pathways, may increase the perceived relevance of learning, which could in turn support attainment.

Motivation

CRL can plausibly help pupils understand why they are learning particular subjects, and how knowledge and skills are used beyond school. This perceived relevance may strengthen motivation, confidence, and aspirations.

The Careers & Enterprise Company evidence review reports positive associations between primary careers learning and pupils’ motivation, confidence, and aspirations. Curriculum-linked activities, such as meeting people from different occupations, exploring workplace problems, or applying Mathematics to real-world contexts, are plausible mechanisms for increasing motivation because they can make learning feel more relevant. Their impact is likely to depend on quality, timing, inclusion, and follow-up.

Engagement

Careers learning may increase engagement by making lessons more purposeful, and helping pupils see connections between subjects, communities and the wider world. It can also provide opportunities for discussion, collaboration, problem solving, and reflection.

The Start Small; Dream Big evaluation involved 1394 primary schools and almost 400,000 pupils. It reported increased career confidence, broadened aspirations, and reduced stereotyping. Although attainment was not directly measured, and the reported outcomes are not direct measures of engagement, they may indicate changes in pupils’ perceptions of learning and future possibilities.

Attendance

Direct evidence that CRL improves attendance is limited. Schools should therefore avoid claiming a direct attendance effect. Provision that increases relevance, belonging, confidence, and enjoyment may support conditions associated with regular attendance, but this is a possible mechanism rather than an established causal pathway.

This may be particularly relevant for pupils who are disengaged, or uncertain about the value of school. A progressive programme could help them see how attendance supports future choices, but any changes in attendance would also be influenced by family circumstances, health, inclusion, pastoral support, school climate, and wider socioeconomic factors. Careers learning can therefore complement effective attendance, pastoral, and inclusion strategies.

Positive pathways

CRL can help pupils develop realistic, broad, and flexible ideas about future education, employment, and training. It may challenge stereotypes linked to gender, ethnicity, disability, social background, and perceived ability, while avoiding premature decisions about particular careers. 

Starting in primary school matters, because aspirations and occupational stereotypes begin to develop early. The Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance on careers education recommends starting early, building knowledge progressively, and connecting learning to future pathways. Early experiences may widen pupils’ understanding of what is possible before assumptions become entrenched. 

Practical recommendations

• Embed a sequenced CRL programme across Key Stages, with age-appropriate progression in self-awareness, knowledge of pathways, and decision making

• Embed CRL in everyday teaching, especially English, Mathematics, Science, and PSHE, rather than relying on occasional events

• Use varied, authentic experiences, including diverse role models, employer and community links, workplace problem solving, visits and reflection, with particular attention to challenging stereotypes, and widening participation

• Make activities accessible and meaningful for all pupils, adapting provision for additional needs and ensuring that disadvantaged pupils encounter a broad range of people, places, and possibilities.

• Prepare pupils before encounters and follow up afterwards, so experiences are connected to learning, skills, and future choices

• Evaluate implementation and outcomes proportionately through participation records, pupil voice, observations, and measures of confidence, knowledge, aspirations and stereotyping; interpret attainment, engagement and attendance data cautiously, distinguishing changes associated with CRL from evidence that it caused them

• Review findings annually with staff, pupils, families, and relevant partners, using them to refine the programme