Compass is a free online tool that helps Independent Training Providers (ITPs) understand how their careers education and guidance compares to best practice. Completing a Compass evaluation can help ITPs identify strengths and discover areas for improvement within their careers provision.
Compass enables ITPs to quickly and easily evaluate their careers activity against eight benchmarks of best practice – known as the Gatsby Benchmarks.
The Gatsby Benchmarks aim to highlight what good career guidance looks like for young people. In this context, careers guidance is defined as the full range of activity delivered under the eight Gatsby Benchmarks.
We refer to this full range of activity as careers education, but it may also be referred to in some organisations as CEIAG (Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance) or IAG (Information Advice and Guidance.)
The Gatsby Benchmark framework is at the heart of statutory guidance for careers education in England. The Department for Education encourages ‘providers of Post-16 education and training, including ITPs’, to follow the statutory guidance, including the Gatsby Benchmarks, as a ‘statement of good practice'.
More support and information about the framework, including how the Gatsby Benchmarks can be applied in your setting, can be found in Building good practice in careers education – Insights and guidance for training providers and also within statutory guidance - Careers guidance and access for education and training providers.
Ofsted is required to comment on the careers provision of training providers and looks for evidence of highly effective careers advice and guidance systems. Compass can be used by ITPs to help gather this evidence.
Completing a Compass evaluation.
To evaluate your careers provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks, an ITP must create a Compass account, then complete a Compass evaluation. A Compass evaluation takes around 30 minutes to complete. We recommend completing a Compass evaluation once a quarter to effectively track and monitor your progress. To get the best results, you will need to know details of learner numbers in your cohorts, and it is also a good idea to talk to colleagues within your organisation who are involved in careers/IAG.
Further guidance on creating a Compass account and completing a Compass evaluation can be found in the Help Centre articles listed below:
- How to create a Compass account for ITPs
- How to complete a Compass evaluation for Post 16 (ITP)
- Gatsby Benchmark guidance for ITPs when completing a Compass evaluation for Post 16
There are also resources and insights for Training Providers on the Resource Directory.