PSHE Association welcomes report on positive academic, social and economic impact of careers education

The PSHE Association has welcomed a review of careers education, published today by the Education Endowment Foundation. The report finds evidence that careers education can have a range of positive impacts including raised academic attainment, improved economic and employment outcomes, and improved wellbeing and non-cognitive skills, such as self-regulation, and resilience.

Chief Executive Joe Hayman said,

“It is positive that the report mentions the importance of non-cognitive skills such as confidence, self-regulation, self-reflection and resilience to setbacks. Delivering careers education through the PSHE curriculum offers a useful opportunity for pupils to develop these skills.

There is strong demand among employers for these non-cognitive skills, with the latest CBI-Pearson Skills Survey once again urging schools to embed personal development skills such as resilience, communication and self-management within their curriculum. An earlier YouGov survey also found that 85% of business leaders support statutory status for PSHE education to ensure that all pupils develop these employability skills.

Evidence from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission shows that pupils from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have opportunities to develop key non-cognitive skills, which makes universal, statutory PSHE education in schools all the more critical.”