Session Overview
Further to the DfE announcement last year, Independent Training Providers (ITPs) are now required to deliver impartial careers guidance to their apprentices through 1-1 guidance sessions with a Level 6 (or above) qualified Careers Advisor, plus create a careers programme which embeds careers across all of their programmes/curriculum.
Ofsted will ask them to evidence what they’re doing to support their apprentices with impartial careers guidance and will want to see an appointed internal Careers Lead, careers policy, careers programme and evidence of 1-1 guidance sessions.
Join our hosts Naomi and Sally to learn more about the Gatsby Benchmarks, ITP requirements and support available to ITPs through The Careers Collective.
About our hosts from The Careers Collective:
Naomi has a wealth of knowledge in funded learning, with a career spanning 2011- 2018 in apprenticeships (training provider and employer side), including working for Pizza Hut European HQ, where she created a brand new leadership and management apprenticeship scheme and launched the Asquith Apprenticeship Academy, supporting over 100 childcare nurseries/ pre-schools across the UK.
She has also worked on employability contracts with Shaw Trust, Avanta (Peopleplus) and National Careers Service. For the past 4 years, she has been working as a Careers Advisor. She is Level 6 qualified and has experience working with diverse caseloads of clients in 1-1 and groupwork environments.
Sally-Ann is a Level 7 Careers Lead and has worked in education for 25 years, mainly across Further Education (FE) and schools, with significant FE experience in apprenticeships and careers.
Her dedication to professional development and training ensures her practice remains current and relevant in today’s evolving labour market.
Over the past three years, Sally-Ann has focused on developing a comprehensive careers programme, established an online resource hub, and overseen Compass, working towards alignment with the Gatsby Benchmarks and the CDI framework for an ITP.
She is particularly passionate about supporting SEND/EHCP and neurodivergent young people and adults to thrive in their careers, recently submitting a Master’s dissertation on Careers and ADHD.
Together with Naomi, they are The Careers Collective, supporting ITPs to deliver an impactful and inclusive careers programme, 1:1 guidance, and workshops to apprentices and study programme learners. This work directly supports the recent statutory Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Careers Guidance update, now inclusive of ITPs from September 2025; ‘careers’ will be in scope for future OFSTED inspections under Personal Development.
