Can We Achieve an 80% Employment Rate With Systems Thinking in Skills and Careers Advice? FE Soundbite 793

Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 793: 19th April 2025 | Can we achieve an 80% Employment rate with Systems Thinking in Skills and Careers Advice?

This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here is a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles from sector influencers and cool thinkers across FE and Skills this week on FE News.

Gavin’s Reflective Perspective

Can we achieve an 80% Employment rate with Systems Thinking in Skills and Careers Advice?

We had the latest ONS Labour Market figures out this week and there has been a slight increase to 75.1% Employment rate. Alarmingly Stephen Evans from Learning and Work highlighted: “The number of young people not in education, employment or training remains stubbornly stuck above 1.2 million. With our research showing three in five of these young people have never had a paid job”. 1.2M NEETs is alarming on it’s own, let alone that 3 in 5 of these young people have never had a paid job!

When I think of Careers Advice and Guidance.. Deirdre Hughes is pretty much at the pinnacle of the list. Deirdre wrote a really interesting piece on Careers Advice and Guidance, looking nationally, internationally and then drilling down to the regions. I highly recommend checking it out.

To reach the Government’s 80% employment target, do we need to have a Systems Thinking approach to Careers Advice and Guidance, Skills and using data / Labour market info to meet true needs?

So I hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week. I also hope you have a fantastic Easter break.

Epic Exclusives Thought Leadership Articles

Our Top 3 Thought Leadership Articles This Week

Firstly, After a Year as Chair of Governors, I Don’t Know How You Do It! By Ruby Parmar, Chair of Governors at Milton Keynes College Group

Secondly Towards a Shared Vision: Reinventing Careers and Employability Support for All Ages By Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE, UK, EU and International careers policy, research and practice specialist

Finally, How Do We Bridge the Digital Divide in the Age of AI? By James Lane, Sector Manager for Digital, NCFE

This week, we also had some other Epic Exclusives!

In Further Education Lies National Renewal and a Richer Future By Alex Glasner Managing Director, Workpays

Practical Steps To Close The Disability Employment Gap: What Can Schools, Employers and Government Do? By Neil Wolstenholme, Kloodle Chairman

What’s New in the World of FE?

Announcements

April 2025 Labour Market Statistics By ONS

Voices

Technical Education: Cracking the Code to Britain’s Future? By Kim Newman, CDI Technical Education Programme Manager  

Why Agentic AI Systems will Supersede Traditional AI, Learning Systems By Joey Lin, CEO of KEATH.ai and Lumin.ai

Embedding Employability: Nine Ways to Support ESOL Learners to Thrive! By Emily Bryson an ELT professional

In The Know

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FYI it’s free!!

After the Easter break… we have two brilliant live streams.

On the 23rd April we have Episode 3 of the Future skills season with City & Guilds on Green Jobs!

Then the very next day (24th April) we kick off a new Season with Hachette called Empowering FE Learning! Empowering FE Learning is then every Thursday for a five episode season.

We hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week. Stay curious, keep innovating, and let’s shake up the world of FE together – catch you next week!

By Danny O’Meara, Digital Project Manager, FE News

By Gavin O’Meara, CEO and Founder, FE News and FE Careers