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Careers Education and Future Skills
Preparing young people for the future they choose.
Great careers education changes lives. It opens young people’s eyes to the full range of opportunities ahead of them, connects classroom learning to the world of work, and gives every learner the confidence, information, and first-hand experience they need to make ambitious, well-informed choices about their future.
This award celebrates stand-out practice in careers education, guidance, and work experience. We’re looking for individuals or teams who go beyond compliance to build a careers programme that is embedded across the curriculum, shaped around the needs of every young person, promotes the full range of pathways and is rich in real encounters with employers and the world of work. Winners will be champions of social mobility, helping young people — whatever their background or starting point — to develop, refine and achieve their aspirations, while providing the knowledge, skills and confidence to pursue their chosen pathways.
Who can enter?
Open to Careers Leaders, Careers Advisers, teachers, or teams with responsibility for careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) and work experience, working in state or independent schools, or Further Education colleges across the UK. Entries may be submitted for an individual or for a careers team.
Please note this category is open to individuals and teams. Where we use the term nominee, this refers to the individual or team you are entering.
Nominator Guidance
What makes a good entry?
Awards criteria
A well-structured entry is key. Start with a brief summary that highlights the main reasons for the nomination. Use clear, jargon-free language, and ensure each criterion is addressed thoroughly. Organise the content with headings and sub headings.
Include details about how the nominee overcomes the most challenging aspects of their role. It’s important that the entry is written by someone who truly knows the nominee, or that the nominator has consulted with those who do.
Evidence and impact
Evidence of impact is the most important aspect of your entry. Our judges look for clear, concise examples that demonstrate the nominee’s impact on students, colleagues, and the broader education community—whether on a regional or national scale. If, for instance, a Headteacher is credited with turning a school around, it’s important to show exactly how this was achieved.
Impact on Learners: Provide specific examples of their direct influence on learners. Highlight practical evidence of high-quality, inspirational teaching that encourages a love of learning and demonstrates excellent classroom skills. For
teaching assistants and school leaders, include evidence of inspirational support, leadership, and creative approaches that engage and motivate both children and staff.
Impact on Colleagues: Describe how the nominee has positively influenced their colleagues. Have they supported others or helped them improve? Consider their role within the staff community beyond the classroom or staffroom. Have they boosted morale or consistently uplifted those around them in some way? Our judges love hearing about these contributions, no matter how big or small.
Impact on the Wider School Community: Highlight the nominee’s overall contribution to the life of the school and the community.
Wider Impact: Where a nominee has shown impact further afield, locally or nationally, please detail this and the impact of that work.
Personalised details are what make your nominee truly stand out.
Bring the entry to life
Written statements and quotes provide a much more compelling narrative than data – especially comments from parents or pupils whose lives have been positively impacted by the nominee. These are most effective when they reference something specific, for example, ‘Ms X made a huge difference to me when she… the effect this had was …’
Where relevant, you could include supportive quotes from a broad range of sources, such as senior leaders, businesses, health or social care agencies, and local community voices. These perspectives highlight the nominee’s impact beyond the classroom.
It’s essential that someone who knows the nominee well writes the entire entry, not just detailing what they do but also providing specific examples and the impact of their work. Personalisation is key.
That special something
Put simply, if your nominee isn’t shortlisted, what would our judges be missing out on? Share the values and truly unique examples of practice that set your nominee apart—something related to their role that has made a real difference to children’s lives. Our judges are particularly keen to see initiatives or approaches that are unprecedented in the school or unlikely to be found elsewhere, especially when they demonstrate innovation and determination, rather than just long
working hours. What makes this nominee a National Award winner, and how could showcasing their exceptional practice inspire and benefit other educators across the UK?
Wider contribution
Highlight how your colleague has made a significant contribution beyond their core responsibilities. Consider areas such as their involvement in extra-curricular activities, community engagement, or initiatives that enhance the wider school
environment.
You could examples such as:
- Leading or supporting clubs or events
- Organising or participating in fundraising activities or community outreach programmes or any achievements they have contributed to that reflect their broader impact within the educational community
- Championing eco-friendly initiatives, such as Eco-Schools or sustainability projects or contributing to the development of children through other enrichment activities
Provide clear examples to demonstrate how their efforts have gone above and beyond, enriching the school experience and making a positive impact.
Personal journey and inspiration
To help our judges understand the nominee as a whole, beyond their role, please share what has shaped their personal and professional journey. Were there key influences from their own education, a significant person, or a defining event in their life? What inspired them to pursue a career in education? Your insight into their motivations and background will help our judges appreciate the individuals behind the educators.
What to avoid when writing your entry?
Data
Unless the criteria specifically request this, although we expect to see some pupil progress or attainment data, or recognition by external agencies to show your nominee’s impact on pupils, our judges prefer this to be kept to a minimum. They carry out due diligence if your entry reaches shortlisting stage. At this point they can obtain data / Ofsted reports.
We want to emphasise the importance of submitting unique, personalised nominations that reflect the individual / team you’re celebrating.
Entries that are not unique
Recently, we’ve noticed that AI-generated or AI-assisted entries often contain repetitive or generic statements that simply echo the criteria without offering real insight. These entries lack the personal touch and specific details that make a
= nomination truly stand out. If you choose to use AI for support, please ensure your entry still reflects your own voice, includes specific examples, and offers personalised evidence or testimonials that highlight the nominee’s unique impact. Remember—it’s the details and authentic stories that truly bring your nominee to life!
Links
You can submit up to 3 additional evidence files along with your written entry. Hyperlinks to other documents, videos, social media etc should be classed as additional evidence and not part of the entry.
Specific guidance for this category
General tips for a strong Careers Education entry
Write from first-hand experience. Judges value insight from someone who has seen the nominee’s work up close and knows what it has meant for young people over time.
Show evidence of a joined-up approach. Explain how partnerships, systems and shared practice will keep benefiting young people beyond the current year, and beyond your own setting.
Show how the nominee reaches all learners including those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or have SEND, and how they make sure no one is left out.
Keep data purposeful. A few clear figures should support the story rather than replace it.
If you are entering a team make it clear who is involved and how the work is led.
Judges will ask themselves
Does the author demonstrate how the nominee has embedded high-quality careers
provision that helps every learner develop the knowledge, skills, confidence needed for
their future? Is there strong support for all learners, particularly those who are
disadvantaged, vulnerable or have SEND.
Is there evidence of a clear, ambitious and inclusive careers programme, with
meaningful employer encounters, workplace experiences and exposure to a wide
range of sectors and pathways.
Does the entry show a clear vision for careers education that is understood and
championed across the whole school, college or organisation.
Has evidence of impact been shared? For example on learners’ skills, outcomes and
aspirations, destinations, participation, or reductions in young people not in education,
employment or training (NEET).
Have examples of continuous improvement, innovation and sharing effective practice
with colleagues, partners and the wider education community been incldued?
Does the entry show a lasting legacy that ensures careers education is firmly
embedded across the setting, with systems and partnerships that continue to benefit
learners over time.
Award Criteria
Please address each of these points in your entry, under the following headings.
Vision and strategy
How does your nominee create a stable, embedded careers programme that is known and understood by learners, staff, parents, and employers and has the explicit backing of leadership and the governing body? Tell us how they’ve built a quality whole-school or whole-college approach, linking curriculum learning to careers so that every subject and every leader and teacher plays a part. How do they ensure the programme is ambitious for all learners, with equality, equity and diversity at its heart?
Personalised guidance
How does your nominee address the individual needs of each learner, particularly the most disadvantaged or vulnerable? Share examples of how they use good-quality career and labour market information, and personal guidance*, to help students and their parents and carers to understand their options and make informed choices. How do they ensure every learner, including those with SEND, has equity of opportunity and experience? How do they ensure that learners have access to their records of participation and can use them ahead of key points of transition?
*Personal Guidance is relevant for Secondary and FE only – if the nominee is a primary practitioner then focus on individual support and preparation for successful transitions
Pathways, employer engagement and work experience
How does your nominee bring the world of work and further study into young people’s lives? Tell us how they’ve built meaningful, first-hand encounters and experiences with employers and workplaces – including work experience, work shadowing, and links with further and higher education and training providers and the impact these have had on learner’ confidence, aspirations, and readiness for their next step.
Impact and legacy
What difference has your nominee’s work made to young people in their setting/s? Share evidence of impact, for example on learners’ skills, outcomes and aspirations, destinations, participation, or reductions in young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) as well as examples of how they share good practice with colleagues, other schools, or the wider community. How do they work with employers, parents, and local partners to sustain and grow opportunities for young people?
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2027 Pearson National Teaching Awards entry form
Note: Please read the 'Points to cover' prior to making your entry.
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