At a time when much of the conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) centres on potential job losses, one sector stands poised to harness this technology for good: careers advice.
Far from making advisers obsolete, AI could help them provide more personalised, timely, and cost-effective support, ensuring more young people and unemployed adults find fulfilling futures.
The UK’s careers advice landscape has been under considerable strain. Investment has plummeted, with spending on school pupils’ career development falling from £159 per pupil in 2009 to just £68 today, according to the Gatsby Foundation. For adults, the drop is nearly one third, from £35 to £26. Yet quality guidance remains a crucial factor in achieving long-term employment success. Evidence from the Investing in Careers report shows that for every £1 spent on careers support, there’s an average return of £2.50 in schools and £3.20 for unemployed adults.
This glaring resource gap points to the need for innovation. Enter AI: a powerful tool that could streamline everything from exploring career pathways to polishing CVs and honing interview techniques. By leveraging advanced machine learning, advisers can rapidly identify transferable skills, highlight growth industries, and adapt to shifting job markets. Indeed, LinkedIn predicts that by 2030, the skills required for jobs worldwide will have changed by at least 65%, making it ever more urgent that the UK’s careers services modernise to remain competitive.
Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE, author of the new report Careers 2035, sees a transformative role for AI in the sector. “Access to equitable AI-enhanced resources can help ensure that all individuals can benefit,” she says. “The future of career guidance must not only embrace innovation but champion the breaking down of barriers, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
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