Use Inspiring The Future to meet Gatsby Benchmarks 3-7 and create multiple employer encounters throughout the year to embed an impactful and engaging careers programme into the curriculum.
What are the Gatsby Benchmarks and how can we help evidence them?
The Department for Education adopted the Gatsby Benchmarks as the best practice model for delivering effective careers provision.
With a network of thousands of employee volunteers from the world of work, Inspiring the Future can help evidence meeting benchmarks 3 to 7.
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Benchmark 3: Addressing the needs of each pupil
Whether you’re looking to raise aspirations or inspire disengaged students, connect with relatable role models with our advanced search function to filter for specific employees from the world of work.
You can filter for volunteers by job title, industry sector or volunteers who can talk about gender, diversity or working with a disability. For example, a secondary school in Derbyshire used the search filters to match students with virtual mentors, based on their career interests.
Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers
Use Inspiring the Future in subject lessons by planning encounters with volunteers in particular sectors. You can also filter volunteers who use classroom subjects and related skills in their jobs.
Why not invite volunteers working in the creative industries to talk about the importance of maths, English or business studies in their day-to-day work?
Hear how Careers Leaders, Teresa and Jake use our volunteers to support Gatsby Benchmark 4.
Benchmark 5: Encounters with employers and employees
Use our interactive mapping tool to connect with volunteers who work locally or go virtual to plan encounters with volunteers from a wider range of sectors, locations and backgrounds.
Choose activities with a size, scale and focus to suit your needs. Plan a virtual career talk with a single volunteer and a small student group, or invite multiple volunteers to whole-year in-person events, such as careers fairs and speed networking.
Access our on-demand teacher webinars for step-by-step demonstrations of how to create meaningful encounters with employers to meet Gatsby Benchmark 5.
“This tool has been excellent; we now have a wide selection of volunteers from all sectors and backgrounds.”
Jo Carroll, Southborough High School
Benchmark 6: Experiences of workplaces
When creating an employer encounter, you can access volunteers who are willing to host work experience, workplace visits or job shadowing.
Our ‘Ready Set Motivate’ guidance and webinar outlines how to organise virtual workplace encounters and use Inspiring the Future to meet benchmark 6 virtually.
Sign-up or login to your account to download your copy.
“I think the guide is excellent. From running similar employer events and reading VWEX guides I think your guide is one of the best. It is clear, sequential and I really like the real-life examples.”
Lorraine Petherham, Ursuline High School, Wimbledon
Benchmark 7: Encounters with further and higher education
Invite volunteers to share their experiences of different career pathways.
Why not plan pathways career insight talks for students approaching transitions? You can filter by volunteers who can talk about apprenticeships or you can invite volunteers to talk about their experience of university choices.
“It opened my eyes about different areas of work and other ways of getting there.”
Student after interacting with Inspiring the Future volunteers
Get started:
Email us at enquiries@inspiringthefuture.org if you’d like to know more about using Inspiring the Future to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks.