Best Careers Resources for Schools

October 2023 — Use EdTech Impact to find the best careers resources for your school. Compare customer reviews, features and pricing, or learn more in our Careers Resources Guide

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Showing 1-30 of 36 results based on
Grofar offers award-winning careers service, work placement and CRM software for schools, colleges, and learning providers. ... Show more
improve school processes94%
provide school data90%
build student knowledge73%
reduce teacher workload67%
save school money62%


#2 in Careers

Free VersionPaid

11-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19+

Sustainable edtech solutions focusing on matching + connecting secondary level students with their best fit universities!... Show more
build student knowledge75%
improve school processes69%
provide school data69%
increase student collaboration67%


#4 in Careers

Free VersionFreemium

14-16, 17-18, 19+

The Medic Portal, in exclusive partnership with the Royal Society of Medicine, is the go-to resource used by millions of aspiring medics each year and trusted by hundreds of top schools globally. It provides guidance for all stages of the application process including the personal statement, aptitude... Show more
build student knowledge91%
improve attainment83%
improve teacher knowledge83%
reduce teacher workload69%


#6 in Careers

Paid

14-16, 17-18

Globalbridge is a pioneering EdTech platform that connects talent to opportunity. Built by teachers, we connect young people & education with employers, apprenticeships and universities. Globalbridge is a single digital platform through which young people, schools, FE/HE, employers, and apprenticeship providers can communicate, in a way that doesn’t... Show more


#7 in Careers

Xello is a whole-school approach to careers education and future readiness that prepares students, from years 7 to 13, for future career success.... Show more
build student knowledge85%
improve teaching efficiency68%
improve attainment65%
reduce teacher workload65%


#8 in Careers

Paid

11-13, 14-16, 17-18

1 award

Start helps schools and colleges to deliver better careers programmes and supports student transition through education in to employment.... Show more
build student knowledge84%
improve teacher knowledge81%
reduce teacher workload78%
improve teaching efficiency66%
provide school data66%


#9 in Careers

Free VersionPaid

11-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19+

The Pay Index is on a mission to provide pay transparency to individuals and organisations. ... Show more
build student knowledge88%
improve attainment81%
improve teaching efficiency81%
reduce teacher workload75%
provide school data75%


Free Version

11-13, 14-16, 17-18

Launch Your Career engages young people in their career journey in a way that other online platforms cannot. A fun, interactive platform that identifies the personality types of young people, highlights the careers they are most suited and supports them in achieving their career ambitions with The National Careers Challenge and virtual work experiences. Schools and colleges have direct access to students’ career profiles so they can personalise any support and guidance to their students’ needs. The online experience supports class, home and remote learning and LaunchyourCareer.com is even more effective when combined with the fully immersive virtual reality (VR) careers experience. ... Show more
build student knowledge75%
improve attainment63%
Improves Behaviour / Wellbeing63%
provide school data50%
improve school processes38%


Freemium

11-13, 14-16, 17-18

Upskill Me provides brilliant opportunities for students to develop and record and showcase their skills development. ... Show more
build student knowledge100%
reduce teacher workload100%
improve attainment88%
improve teacher knowledge88%
provide school data88%


Free Version

14-16, 17-18

Skills Builder is a comprehensive initial assessment which determines your learners’ current level in Functional Skills and GCSE maths and English, Essential Digital Skills, and ESOL. The platform uses Ofsted and ESFA compliant assessments, and diagnostic assessments to develop an individual learning plan based on your learners’ individual... Show more
improve attainment100%
build student knowledge100%
improve teaching efficiency100%
reduce teacher workload100%


Free VersionPaid

14-16

Future-focused learning that empowers your students. 8billionideas offers a digital platform with courses, live sessions, and dedicated mentors to equip...... Show more

Paid

8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-18

The AI-powered careers website helping pupils discover and get into a career they’ll love.... Show more

Free TrialPaid

14-16, 17-18, 19+

PathwayU is a free online platform to guide college students to purpose when making critical choices about education, career, and employment. Patented predictive analytics have shown students who complete PathwayU have higher GPAs, are more likely to persist in their academic and career programs, are better able to... Show more

Free Version

17-18

Boost, complement and enhance the careers support you provide for students.... Show more

Free VersionFreemiumPaid

17-18

Improves the interview confidence and outcomes of 16-25 years olds with 200+ interview questions with hints and model answers for apprenticeships, role specific questions, internships, graduates, general job seekers, and become disability confident. Users can also jot notes for their own answers and record notes on specific companies,... Show more

Free Version

14-16, 17-18

Fledglink aspire to be the most helpful, supportive platform for young people as they make critical decisions about their future and transition from education and into work. Our free mobile-app provides tailored careers advice, a digital C.V. builder, gamified self-discovery tools (e.g. personality quizzes and strengths profiles)... Show more

14-16, 17-18, 19

Springpod is a careers enablement platform that enables young people to explore pathways and gain meaningful experience to help them secure their next steps after school.... Show more

Free VersionPaid

14-16, 17-18, 19+

Access Career Guru is an interactive careers guidance platform for secondary school pupils in years 7 - 11. Complementing in-house career programmes, Access Career Guru provides a fun, personalised experience for pupils to explore the professional world at their own pace, all from the comfort of their computer screens.... Show more

Paid

8-10, 11-13, 14-16

We empower your learners to action career opportunities and excite their aspirations. They will understand the relationship between their learning, skills & interests and where they currently fit in the world of work. We support your careers delivery with smart-matching technology to provide learners with earning, learning,... Show more

17-18, 19-25, 19+

Coming to grips with where to start when it comes to a career choice can be daunting. We make it accessible and enjoyable! Students can take our personality quiz to find their inspiration animal, which will show them some great career options.... Show more
MyCareerSpringboard, allows young people to explore all of the options available to them, make well-informed choices and prepare for their future. The Careers Adviser Academy enables you to track pupils’ use of the platform and generate reports that can be used to facilitate more valuable and efficient... Show more

Free Version

CareerRadar's intelligent career matching engine gets to know you as an individual, and makes suggestions based on what it learns. CareerRadar was set up in 2017 as a 'not-for-profit' company to provide young people with a smarter way of getting careers advice, and more generally to provide an intelligent... Show more

Free VersionFreemiumPaid

Careers Assesment tool for 11-19 year olds offering a suggested 10 careers that the student would potential do well at based on the various results from the assesment. Available direct to parents or through schools using a discount code.... Show more

Paid

Bodyswaps is a platform that empowers organizations of all sizes to up-skill their workforce for the new world of work, rapidly, cost-effectively and at scale. The solution leverages VR, AI and Behavioral Science to combine the effectiveness of role-play with the scalability of digital solutions. It simulates realistic workplace scenarios to let learners practice their soft skills with virtual characters using their own voice, and provides them with automated personalised recommendations.... Show more

Paid

8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19+

ourGen enables universities to scale their career services and stay up-to-date so their students become stand out professionals. ... Show more

Free VersionPaid

17-18, 19+

The CDI is the single UK-wide professional body for everyone working in the fields of career education; career information, advice and guidance; career coaching, career consultancy and career management.... Show more

Paid

0-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19+

We believe that talent is equally distributed across the globe, but opportunity is not. We take pride in helping students discover and explore the best pathways available to them -- wherever those opportunities may be. And we empower secondary schools and universities, with software and solutions designed... Show more

Free TrialPaid

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Learn more about Career Resources

What are career resources?

You may be on the search for career resources for your school and wondering where to start. Effective online career resources enhance your school’s ability to deliver a high quality careers programme to students, and help them identify which careers, study and training might be suited to them. They can help students build on the skills they need to succeed in their desired field.

Online career resources offer individually-tailored career guidance to students, and automate many aspects of your career information, education, advice and guidance (CIEAG) provision for your students.

Why use career resources?

There are a range of online career resources available that cater to different age groups and with different specific aims or professional fields in mind. However, all career resources should offer few key tools:

Skills building activities: these offer students assignments and activities to build on their desired skills and competencies.

Access to labour market information and careers information: up-to-date, extensive information on what careers are out there, who’s hiring and what skills are needed to enter an industry.

Gatsby Benchmark reporting: track how successfully your school’s careers resources meet the Gatsby Benchmarks, internationally regarded as the most respected framework for best practice in careers guidance for schools and colleges.

What do you need to know before purchasing career resources?

If you are trying to decide which career resources are right for your school, keep the following considerations in mind:

What are the specific needs of your student demographic?
Do you need online career resources aimed at students heading into a specific career such as medicine, or are you looking for something for younger children to help them get to grips with the idea of working life? Do you want career resources with a focus on apprenticeships? Answer these questions first before starting your search for the best resources for you and your students.

Do you want to include parents?
Consider whether you want career resources that can be shared with parents so that they can track their child’s progress.

What is your budget?
Certain online career resources offer services for free; others offer a range of packages to suit different budgets. On the whole, platforms that charge a fee aim to have more in-depth and individually-tailored support on offer.

The benefits of Careers Resources

There are several key benefits to purchasing career resources:

Access a large volume of quality, up-to-date labour market information, career development activities and skill-building opportunities
Good quality online career resources can offer immediate access to reams of up-to-date information about further education, apprenticeships and careers. The best platform designers will also be au fait with the latest government policies on careers guidance, helping you stay in line with required CIEAG standards.

Keep track of important information
Career resources make it easy to record and track both student and organisational progress. In other words, they help you understand not only how students are engaging with careers guidance, but also how successfully your school is delivering its careers programme. Some online career resources have a feature that allows you to integrate information from the platform into your Management Information System (MIS), making it easier to compare, understand and manage.

Involve parents
If you are looking to improve parental engagement, you can look for online career resources that offer access to parents so that they can get a better understanding of how their child is using the resources available to them, and what kind of support and guidance would benefit them.

Meet the Gatsby Benchmarks
The eight Gatsby Benchmarks (explained in ‘What should you consider when purchasing career resources?’) are an internationally recognised framework in the field of careers guidance. In the UK, schools must provide evidence that they use the Gatsby Benchmark in order to rate as ‘good’.

Evidence Ofsted compliance
In the UK, Ofsted is legally required to comment on the quality of a school’s careers provision to 16-18 year olds, and students aged up to 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Look for careers resources that collate, analyse and document information to help you evidence the work your school is doing to meet Ofsted standards.

Adhere to the Baker Clause
The Baker Clause, introduced by the UK government in 2018, requires all schools in the UK to ensure that a range of education and training providers have the opportunity to inform students about non-academic options in Years 8 to 13. If you are looking for career resources that help to meet these requirements, you can look for an online platform that has tools for increasing awareness of and access to apprenticeships.

What are the features of career resources?

Which features you want on online career resources will depend on the specific CIEAG needs of your school and student population. Here are some of the most helpful features and tools that good career resources can provide:

Gatsby benchmark reporting: with Gatsby Benchmark reporting, online career resources will send you reports informing you how many of the Gatsby Benchmarks your school is compliant with, based on your students’ engagement with their platform. This allows you to track data so that your school can understand its own strengths and weaknesses in its CIEAG provision.

Skills builder: activities and assignments for your students to help them build on the skills and competencies relevant to their career development.

Labour market information: a career resources tool that provides relevant and up-to-date information about which sectors are hiring in your area and what future job opportunities are available.

Data collection and reporting: data reports help your school understand how your students are engaging with your career resources, and strengths and areas for improvement in your school’s careers provision.

Assessments: these may come in the form of psychometric tests or skills assessments, and can help you and your students understand which careers may be suited to them.

CV builder: a career resources tool to help your students improve the quality of their all-important CV.

Parent account: an online career resources feature that allows parents to access the platform and view their child’s progress.

Events workshops info: information about events and workshops your students can access that are relevant to their career development.

Course search and shortlisting: helps students find courses relevant to their career ambitions.

Reporting for MATS: this online career resources feature provides data that tells you how well schools are delivering their careers provision across your Multi-Academy Trust. Reporting for MATS can help you understand the individual careers guidance needs of each school, as well as overall trends, strengths and areas for improvement.

What should you consider when buying career resources?

Key considerations to bear in mind when purchasing career resources can be put broadly into two categories:

  • The CIEAG needs of your school
  • National requirements and benchmarks on CIEAG provision

Give yourself time to deliberate and understand both before making a decision on which career resources to use.

i) The CIEAG needs of your school

When deciding which career resources suit the specific CIEAG needs of your school, consider the following:

Think about the specific needs of your students
Consider what career development outcomes you want for your students before delving into the world of career resources. The needs of your students should guide your purchasing decision. Would your school benefit most from a platform that focuses on upskilling students with their CV writing and interviewing skills? Or are you looking for immersive activities that encourage students to picture themselves in different jobs and workplace scenarios?

Be guided by the aims of your school’s CIEAG policy
Think about how career resources will help your school achieve the aims of its Careers Information, Education, Advice and Guidance policy. Choose online resources complements its aims and makes it possible to track and evidence your school’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Identify the areas for improvement in your school’s careers provision
Identify whether there are problems with student engagement, or gaps in the guidance and support you are already offering. Understanding where your school is lacking will help you choose career resources that complement and enhance your existing CIEAG provision.

Look at reviews from other schools to understand which career resources are right for you
A delve into reviews from other educators can help you get a better understanding of which career resources are best suited to your school. Does the online platform you’re interested in offer value for money? Does it provide the tools you’re looking for? Does its technology run smoothly? Wherever possible, look for reviews from schools with similar needs to yours.

ii) National requirements and benchmarks on CIEAG provision

Understanding what is required of you and your school is an essential first step in finding career resources that are going to offer a good experience for your students. In the UK, there are two national standards that should be at the forefront of your decision-making:

The Gatsby Benchmark

Gatsby is an organisation aiming to improve skills in science and engineering in the UK. In 2013, Gatsby commissioned Sir John Holman to establish what good career guidance would look like in the UK using international standards as a barometer. The result was a report recommending eight benchmarks for schools to use as a framework for improving their CIEAG provision. The eight Gatsby Benchmarks are:

  1. A stable careers programme: every school should have its careers provision embedded in its curriculum and understood by staff, parents, governors and students.
  2. Learning from career and labour market information: pupils and parents should have access to relevant and accurate information about employment and study opportunities
  3. Addressing the needs of each pupil: career resources should address the individual needs of each child, and should take into account the equality and diversity needs of your student population
  4. Linking curriculum learning to careers: a school’s career resources should help students understand the relevance of subjects in the classroom to jobs in the working world
  5. Encounters with employers and employees: students should have opportunities to learn from employers about employment opportunities, whether this is through visiting speakers or enterprise schemes.
  6. Experiences of workplaces: schools’ career resources should help link students to opportunities for work experiences and work shadowing.
  7. Encounters with further and higher education: careers resources should support students to understand the full range of options available in terms of further and higher education.
  8. Personal guidance: every student should be able to speak with a careers advisor, and have training and guidance tailored to their individual needs.

Ofsted’s requirements on CIEAG provision

Ofsted’s School Inspection Handbook offers guidance on how it assesses the quality of careers advice and guidance in schools (accurate as of 4th November 2021). Here are a few key takeaways to keep in mind when choosing careers resources:

  1. Schools are required by law to adhere to the Baker Clause.
  2. Ofsted will not rate a school as ‘Good’ unless it meaningfully uses the Gatsby Benchmarks and adheres to the Baker Clause.
  3. Schools should provide unbiased careers advice and meaningful opportunities for their students to familiarise themselves with the world of work.
  4. Schools should publish information about its CIEAG provision.
Sources

The following sources were referenced for this document:

Good Career Guidance by Gatsby (accessed 3rd November 2021)
https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/gatsby-sir-john-holman-good-career-guidance-2014.pdf

Careers Guidance and Access for education and training providers by the Department for Education: statutory guidance for schools and guidance for further education colleges and sixth form colleges (accessed 3rd November 2021)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1002972/Careers_statutory_guidance.pdf

Your School’s Careers provision: what are Ofsted inspectors looking for? (accessed 3rd November 2021)
https://ideas4careers.co.uk/your-schools-careers-provision-what-are-ofsted-inspectors-looking-for/

Ofsted School Inspection Handbook (accessed 4th November 2021)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-eif/school-inspection-handbook

Ofsted – what every CL needs to know by the CDI (accessed 3rd November 2021)
https://www.thecdi.net/write/Presentations/WS1.2.pdf

Career Development Framework: a guide for Primary schools (accessed 3rd November 2021)
https://www.thecdi.net/write/Framework/CDI_124-Framework-Handbook_for_schools-v5.pdf

Every School Should have access to new careers Hub says Augar Review (accessed 3rd November 2021)
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/every-school-should-have-access-to-new-careers-hubs-says-augar-review/


Updated on: 30 November 2021


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