GCSE and BTEC Level 2 results matter for young people – but so do pathways that connect them to real opportunity

We rightly place significant emphasis on exam results. Qualifications open doors, create opportunities, and reflect years of hard work from students, teachers, and families. They matter enormously. But while GCSEs and BTEC Level 2 results shape future choices, they do not determine future success on their own. 

What matters just as much is the support, experiences, and guidance young people have access to throughout their education, and what this looks like as they take their next steps. Do they understand the breadth of career options available, and just as importantly, can they make the link between their strengths and their interests? Do they know how to be a good teammate, manage time effectively, and handle challenges when they arise at work? Are they set up for success as their interests and aspirations evolve over their lifetime – not just in the one route they choose as a teenager? 

This is all essential to preventing young people from becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) – but at a point when young people are making important decisions about their futures, too many are left to do so without this foundation. To change this requires stronger connections between education, employers and careers support to build local opportunities, supported by good use of labour market information. Only then can we create the pathways needed to help young people move confidently from learning into further education, training, or work.

Sparking early career ambitions

On a recent Careers Carousel day that EDT facilitated for Year 7 through our Inspiring Careers Programme, students rotated through sessions with employers to learn about the many career routes available after school. Events like these provide meaningful encounters with the world of work, helping young people connect their interests and strengths to future opportunities. This is supported by research from the Education and Employers Taskforce, which found that a young person who has four or more meaningful encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to be unemployed or not in education or training and can earn up to 22% more during their career.

Our activities on the Inspiring Careers Programme provide support at critical stages throughout education: in the case of our Year 7 Careers Carousel day, students had only recently completed the transition from primary school and begun to form ideas about their strengths, interests, and aspirations. Waiting until Year 11 to start building these pathways risks missing valuable opportunities to broaden horizons and build confidence. The importance of early intervention is also echoed in Alan Milburn’s recent calls for primary schools to identify pupils at risk of becoming NEET. If we recognise that disengagement can begin long before a young person reaches the end of compulsory education, then we must also recognise the importance of connecting young people to opportunity much earlier.

Meaningful and frequent work experience for all

Alongside activities like Careers Carousels, work experience has a critical role to play. Work experience helps young people to see how the skills they are learning in school can be applied in the real world. Yet access to these opportunities is not always equal – too often, young people are left to secure work experience through family connections or existing networks, perpetuating inequality of opportunity. 

The ‘Work Experience: Past, present and future’ report from Education and Employers, published in June 2026, found that for 81% of young people, work placements are arranged by them or their families. More than three quarters of school staff (78%) also said that family connections are the main reason some young people benefit more than others. These inequalities are exacerbated by geographic isolation, economic disadvantage, travel costs, limited employer capacity to engage, and insufficient resources in schools. 

We know from our Inspiring Careers Programme that when schools and local employers are supported to coordinate meaningful work experience opportunities for students, outcomes improve. One school leader told us, “The work experience [provided through the Inspiring Careers Programme] allows students to learn skills they can’t inside the classroom, grow in confidence when interacting with colleagues not in their peer group, and gain independence.” 

Like Careers Carousels, work experience can be introduced as early as Year 7. Through Modern Work Experience (the framework developed by the Careers & Enterprise Company, also known as Equalex), young people have the chance to take part in multiple workplace experiences throughout their education, instead of the traditional one-week placement. This enables young people to experience more, and earlier, compounding their skills and confidence over time.

Getting to work, together

Every young person deserves a clear route into their future. If we are serious about reducing the risk of disengagement and improving social mobility, we need to ensure that all young people can access the experiences, information, and relationships that help them understand and pursue their aspirations. This requires a coordinated effort between schools, employers, and local organisations – because when we work together, we can help connect young people to opportunity, starting long before results day and continuing far beyond it. 

We have spent more than 25 years helping young people navigate the transition between education and employment through our Inspiring Careers Programme. Working with schools, colleges, and employers across England, we provide careers guidance, employer engagement, work-related learning, and labour market information to help young people make informed decisions about their futures. 

If you are an employer interested in supporting the next generation and helping young people build meaningful pathways into work, please get in touch.