All primary teachers will be offered free professional development on careers education after a government-backed trial found pupils with trained-up teachers “broadened” their horizons and were less likely to feel held back by gender stereotypes. However, the evaluation of the Careers and Enterprise Company鈥檚 Start Small, Dream Big programme found pupils were less likely to be interested in a career in teaching after it was completed. Funded with 拢2.6 million by the last government, the programme reached 1,394 primary schools. The Department for Education had originally planned for it to reach 2,200. The programme saw Teach First train a lead teacher in each school with CPD designed to 鈥渂uild knowledge and skills for the implementation of whole-school career-related learning programmes and careers in the curriculum鈥. Schools were also supported by careers hubs to deliver encounters with employers for pupils. Schools more likely to have careers strategy The , published today, states it 鈥渇ound that the pilot鈥檚 innovative approach, combining teacher CPD with the practical involvement of career hubs and local employers, led to many of the intended outcomes鈥. Researchers polled teachers in participating primary schools before and after the programme. Beforehand, just 15 per cent reported their school had a formal, written whole-school strategy for careers. By the end of the programme, that had leapt to 73 per cent. The survey of teachers also found a 36 per cent increase in agreement that they can 鈥渢ailor careers advice, support and opportunities to the needs for each learner鈥. Agreement that they felt 鈥渃onfident talking to pupils about a wide range of careers鈥 increased 28 per cent. At the end of the pilot, 48 per cent of teachers agreed their school 鈥渉elps pupils understand current changes in career patterns and trends鈥, up from 10 per cent. The proportion agreeing that their school 鈥渆nables pupils to explore a wide range of careers during career-related learning鈥 also rose from 26 to 78 per cent. Pupils less restricted by stereotypes And 75 per cent agreed that 鈥渙ver the last year, my pupils’ feeling that they are restricted by stereotypes in relation to their future job/career has decreased鈥. The CEC said pupils 鈥渕oved away from stereotypical 鈥榙ream jobs鈥 and developed an interest in a wider range of roles鈥. For example, it said girls鈥 aspirations in business and finance rose by 31 per cent, and interest in digital, law and construction also rose. However, the proportion of pupils expressing an interest in a teaching career diminished from 22 to 20 per cent. For girls, the drop was from 34 to 31 per cent. The CEC will now 鈥渇ocus on consolidating the gains made鈥, expanding the CPD offered to the pilot schools to all schools through its online platform. It will also establish a 鈥減rimary national community of improvement鈥 through its careers hubs network. ‘The potential legacy is tantalising’ John Yarham, the company鈥檚 CEO, said the pilot 鈥渉as shown what鈥檚 possible when schools, employers and communities come together to inspire children about their futures from an early age. John Yarham 鈥淭he potential legacy of this pilot is tantalising: schools and employers are committed to sustaining this work, and we now have a blueprint for how career-related learning can become a powerful part of every child鈥檚 primary education.鈥 Researchers also asked parents about their child鈥檚 attitudes to careers and the world of work Forty per cent reported having more conversations with their child about the issue than before the pilot. Of those parents, 41 per cent cited their child bringing up the subject more as an important factor. Fourteen per cent cited their child鈥檚 school engaging more with parents on careers. The report also found a 54 per cent increase聽in schools鈥 reported links to local employers. And 93 per cent of involved employers surveyed planned to continue supporting local primary schools.