Jo Wharton

The recent Milburn review has reignited debate about the growing number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Much of the discussion has focused on the scale of the challenge, the pressures facing young people, and the support available once they have disengaged. These are important conversations, but they also raise another question that deserves greater attention. How do we identify young people at risk before they become NEET? This is not simply a...

CEIAG is one of those terms that’s become so embedded within education, employability, and careers provision that it’s easy to assume everybody shares the same understanding of what it actually means. We reference it in strategies, inspection frameworks, funding discussions, and everyday conversations across the sector, yet I increasingly wonder whether some of the distinctions within the term are starting to blur and, when that happens, whether something important risks being lost. Because...

Most Career Development Professionals will recognise this moment in practice. A client says, “I don’t know what to do,” or “I just feel stuck,” or “There are too many options.” In these moments, the challenge is rarely a lack of ability or opportunity. More often, it is a mix of uncertainty, emotion, and information overload that makes decision making feel overwhelming. As practitioners, we know that offering more information or more options does not always move people forward. What usually...