The Employer Standards for Careers have been developed to set out clearly and consistently 'what good looks like' when connecting activities (inputs) to positive impacts for young people and businesses (outcomes).
Principles
The Employer Standards are based on the following set of principles:
1. Evidence based: the Standards are based on evidence (either from feedback from organisations and experts in this field during the consultation, or from research). This evidence base will continue to be assessed and developed as time goes on, informing future iterations of the Standards.
2. Relevant to all: the Standards are applicable to all organisations, regardless of size or sector, although some self-assessment questions vary to ensure appropriateness (this has been tested through pilots).
3. Aligned: we have consulted with other framework providers (e.g. Gatsby, Skills Builder, Social Mobility Foundation, Youth Employment UK, Business in the Community, Engineering UK and more) to align the Employer Standards to their learnings and bring coherence for organisations who work towards multiple frameworks.
Aims
The Employer Standards aim to:
- DEFINE 'what good looks like' for employers.
- DRIVE continuous improvement and facilitate best practice sharing.
- ENCOURAGE more employer engagement and higher quality outreach and support for young people.
The Employer Standards enables employers to measure, track and learn about their activities and impact. They recognise excellence in the system and allow others to learn from it, while enabling employers and sectors to benchmark themselves.
Consultation and piloting
The CEC consulted with more than 100 organisations ahead of our pilots including employers, sector and business bodies and partners such as the Gatsby Foundation and Skills Builder. During pilots, we worked with around 400 employers including Cornerstone Employers and members of the British Chambers of Commerce.