To ask the Minister of Education to detail whether there are any plans (i) to provide additional training and resources for careers teachers; or (ii) to increase access to careers service specialists within schools, in order to deliver on the Careers Action Plan 2025-2028.

Strategic Outcome 3 (establishing quality standards and developing the capacity of all partners within the careers system to deliver high quality and consistent support) in the Careers Action Plan provides details of the actions my department will be taking in relation to providing additional training and resources for careers teachers. These include:

working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Schools & Colleges Careers Association (NISCA) to develop shared standards for careers in schools;

develop a careers education delivery framework in consultation with NISCA which details the expected careers education model for KS3 through to Post-16;

work with Area Learning Community (ALC) Careers sub-groups to disseminate best practice in careers delivery across all ALCs;

strengthen teacher training programmes to include careers education and career guidance theory, research and best practice;

Develop a careers framework which sets out the services that should be available within local communities through collaboration with ALCs, local councils and Labour Market Partnerships.

DfE’s Careers Service works in partnership with schools to support the careers education programme. They have a Partnership Agreement in place with each post primary school in Northern Ireland and their Advisors provide professional careers advice and guidance at key transition points.

Questions in relation to the Careers Service would be a matter for the Minister for the Economy however, one of the commitments included under strategic objective 4 of the Careers Action Plan is that the Careers Service will ‘reform the delivery of careers, including the provision offered in schools and with adults and better identify and target those most in need’.