What careers support do colleges have to provide?

Colleges in England are expected to follow the DfE statutory careers guidance and work towards the eight Gatsby Benchmarks, including personal guidance for every student, encounters with employers and workplaces, and careers information linked to the curriculum. Ofsted considers careers provision as part of personal development, and many colleges also hold the matrix Standard for their information, advice and guidance.

How does Shine provide career guidance for students?

Each student takes a short questionnaire covering strengths, interests, qualifications and any adjustments they need. Shine then shows the careers that fit, the routes in — T Levels, apprenticeships, entry-level jobs, short courses and volunteering — and live UK opportunities near them, with a CV, cover letter and interview toolkit to apply.

Does it replace our careers advisers?

No. It gives advisers a starting point for every student before a one-to-one, and reaches the students who would never have booked an appointment. Advisers see who has and hasn't engaged and what each student is aiming for, so their time goes where it changes the outcome.

Can we see how many of our students use it?

Yes. Each college gets its own tracked sign-up link and a cohort dashboard showing sign-ups, questionnaire completions, pathways chosen, applications and badges earned. That also gives you evidence for Gatsby Benchmarks 3, 4 and 8 without extra data entry.

How much does careers support for colleges cost?

Students always use Shine free. Colleges pay for the reporting dashboard and Gatsby evidence, with a single-institution plan and a multi-site plan for college groups. Pricing and a request-an-invoice option are on the Education Partners page.

For FE and sixth form colleges

Careers support for colleges: career guidance every student actually uses

Personal career guidance for every student in a five-minute questionnaire, live UK apprenticeships and jobs to apply for, and Gatsby Benchmark evidence that builds itself. Free for students, built for careers leads.

See plans for colleges Try the student career quiz

What careers support should a college give its students?

Good careers support in a UK college gives every student personal guidance, covers every route — T Levels, apprenticeships, entry-level jobs, short courses and volunteering, not only university — and records employer encounters and destinations automatically for Gatsby Benchmark reporting. Shine does this through a five-minute student career quiz, live local opportunities and a cohort dashboard for careers leads.

Last reviewed 12 September 2026 by the Shine careers team.

What good careers support in a college looks like

Every student gets personal guidance, not just the ones who ask

Statutory guidance for colleges expects careers support for every learner, at every level. A self-serve career quiz that produces a personal pathway reaches the quiet students a careers team never has time to meet one-to-one.

Guidance covers every route, not only university

T Levels, apprenticeships from Level 2 to degree level, entry-level jobs that train, short courses and volunteering all count. Students should see the option that fits them, with next steps they can act on that week.

Encounters with employers are recorded automatically

Applications, employer views, live vacancy clicks and industry placements should generate their own evidence trail, so Gatsby Benchmark reporting is a by-product of activity rather than a spreadsheet exercise.

Destinations are tracked without chasing

Where students go next is the outcome inspectors and governors ask about. Support that follows the student into their first application gives you the destination data as it happens.

Career guidance for students, in their own time

Everything below is free for students and works on a phone, so it fits tutorials, form time and the evening before an application deadline.

A five-minute career quiz with a personal pathway

Students answer questions about strengths, interests, adjustments and what they want from work. Shine matches them to careers and the realistic routes in, with a next step for each.

See the career quiz

Live UK opportunities no older than 30 days

Apprenticeships, entry-level jobs, work experience and volunteering near the student, with the CV and cover letter tools to apply properly.

Browse live opportunities

A Skills Passport that turns college life into evidence

Attendance awards, coursework, volunteering and part-time work are stored as proof employers can check, and unlock badges as students build them.

How students build transferable skills

Guides written for 16 to 24 year olds

Plain-English pages on T Levels versus apprenticeships, first CVs, jobs with no experience and changing direction at 18, ready to drop into tutorials and form time.

T Levels vs apprenticeships vs A levels

Careers support for colleges across the UK

Shine matches students to opportunities by where they live, so the guidance reflects what is actually hiring around your college rather than a national list.

Colleges in London

Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Croydon, Barking & Dagenham, Southwark, Lambeth, Ealing, Brent and every Greater London borough

Where most live Shine opportunities are today: digital, business admin, finance, health, construction and hospitality apprenticeships, plus a dense sixth-form and college network with high competition for degree apprenticeships

Colleges in Greater Manchester

Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Oldham

Digital and creative, engineering, health and social care, logistics

Colleges in West Midlands

Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Solihull

Advanced manufacturing, construction, automotive, care and retail

Colleges in West Yorkshire

Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield

Finance and professional services, health, hospitality and business admin

Colleges in Merseyside

Liverpool, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens

Health and social care, logistics and ports, hospitality, digital

Colleges in South West

Bristol, Gloucester, Plymouth, Exeter

Aerospace and engineering, hospitality and tourism, care, construction

Colleges in North East

Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Durham

Manufacturing, offshore and energy, contact centres, care and construction

Colleges in South Yorkshire

Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley

Advanced manufacturing, logistics, health, hospitality and retail

Colleges in East Midlands

Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Lincoln

Manufacturing and rail, logistics, health and retail

Colleges in Wales

Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Wrexham

Public sector, health and care, hospitality, construction and manufacturing

Colleges in Scotland

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee

Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships, energy, finance, hospitality and care

Colleges in Northern Ireland

Belfast, Derry, Lisburn, Newry

IT and business services, manufacturing, hospitality and retail

Students in every region also get our city-by-city guide to UK entry-level jobs and apprenticeships guide.

How it fits around your careers team

Careers leads get a cohort dashboard: who has completed the quiz, which pathways students are choosing, applications made, and Gatsby Benchmark evidence generated automatically.
Tutors run the quiz in a single tutorial or form-time session using the poster and slide deck on the Education Partners page, no training required.
Students keep their account after they leave, so destination data keeps flowing when they start work, an apprenticeship or a course elsewhere.
A tracked sign-up link per college shows exactly how many students joined and finished the questionnaire, so you can evidence take-up without a survey.

Set up your college Download the poster and form-time deck

Common questions from careers leads

What careers support do colleges have to provide?: Colleges in England are expected to follow the DfE statutory careers guidance and work towards the eight Gatsby Benchmarks, including personal guidance for every student, encounters with employers and workplaces, and careers information linked to the curriculum. Ofsted considers careers provision as part of personal development, and many colleges also hold the matrix Standard for their information, advice and guidance.
How does Shine provide career guidance for students?: Each student takes a short questionnaire covering strengths, interests, qualifications and any adjustments they need. Shine then shows the careers that fit, the routes in — T Levels, apprenticeships, entry-level jobs, short courses and volunteering — and live UK opportunities near them, with a CV, cover letter and interview toolkit to apply.
Does it replace our careers advisers?: No. It gives advisers a starting point for every student before a one-to-one, and reaches the students who would never have booked an appointment. Advisers see who has and hasn't engaged and what each student is aiming for, so their time goes where it changes the outcome.
Can we see how many of our students use it?: Yes. Each college gets its own tracked sign-up link and a cohort dashboard showing sign-ups, questionnaire completions, pathways chosen, applications and badges earned. That also gives you evidence for Gatsby Benchmarks 3, 4 and 8 without extra data entry.
How much does careers support for colleges cost?: Students always use Shine free. Colleges pay for the reporting dashboard and Gatsby evidence, with a single-institution plan and a multi-site plan for college groups. Pricing and a request-an-invoice option are on the Education Partners page.

Sources: DfE statutory careers guidance, the Gatsby Benchmarks for good career guidance, and The Careers & Enterprise Company. Last reviewed 2026-09-12.