I read with interest the long-awaited Milburn report on youth unemployment that came out today. There are many systemic issues he talks about that others are better placed to comment upon. But there is something I鈥檇 like to make the case for that can help with NEET prevention: a rigorous, high quality careers programme, underpinned by the . When senior leaders make careers guidance a priority and not just a tick-box exercise, it can transform lives. Research from the Gatsby Foundation shows that the more benchmarks a school achieves, the lower the number of pupils who end up not in employment, education or training (NEET). Schools serving the most disadvantaged young people see a 20 per cent reduction in NEET outcomes when they fully achieve all eight benchmarks. Bringing subjects to life Our careers programme is tailored to each young person. We find out what their aspirations are, but also what they love. What are they passionate about? What could they potentially be brilliant at? This informs how we support them and allows us to contextualise the curriculum. Linking their interests to what they are studying increases their engagement and they can see that school and education serves a purpose for them. They understand that education is integral to fulfilling their future career aspirations, so we see that attendance picks up and behaviour improves. Bringing subjects to life through careers education has made such a difference to those young people who are hard to engage with. There is a risk that senior leaders believe that if they have a careers leader in place, that鈥檚 the careers programme ticked off and dealt with, and they don鈥檛 need to engage further. Prioritise careers guidance I fully understand that leaders have many competing demands on their time. But I鈥檇 encourage senior leaders to make time to prioritise careers guidance as it benefits the whole school, helping with wider priorities such as attainment, attendance and behaviour. It鈥檚 vital all staff are involved and invested in careers guidance. We make sure staff across Wave Multi Academy Trust, from trust leadership all the way through to teachers, support staff, teaching assistants and administration teams buy into the power of careers guidance and are equipped to support with it. Every single member of our team has completed the Careers and Enterprise Company continuing professional development (CPD) modules. Ben’s story Let me bring this all to life with an example of a student 鈥� let鈥檚 call him “Ben”. When he came to us initially, we couldn鈥檛 even get him out of the car to come into the school building. When he did eventually come in, he didn鈥檛 want to go to maths or English lessons and couldn鈥檛 see himself doing GCSEs. We worked with him and his mum to get to know him and his family, stopping to properly listen to them. Originally, he said he didn鈥檛 know what he wanted to do for work. But the more we got to know him, the more he shared what he liked, his interests and aspirations. It became apparent that he had a burgeoning passion for gardening and landscaping, which had stemmed from cutting grass for family and friends. We designed a timetable with him which enabled him to access education five days a week, whilst acknowledging that he struggled with being in school full time. We arranged for him to spend two days a week out of school learning elements of landscaping. For the rest of the week he was in school focusing on his core subjects. The landscaping motivated him and we saw him in school more and more, taking an active part in lessons with growing confidence and engaging positively with staff and pupils. A committed and increasingly independent young man started to emerge. He did fantastically well in his GCSEs. He鈥檚 now thriving in an apprenticeship in groundworks and has a pathway he鈥檚 excited about. This is the power of high quality careers guidance, prioritised at the heart of a school鈥檚 strategy There is a range of support available to help you put the benchmarks at the heart of your school鈥檚 careers provision, including practical tools and leadership resources.