Insight: Supporting young people’s next steps in London

Michelle Sporle, Strategic Hub Lead for our delivery of the Central London Careers Hub, on how we've been helping to empower young Londoners to take their next best step.

London’s labour market is buzzing with opportunity. There are few - if any - places in the world with a wider array of careers to choose from – from finance, the experience economy or life sciences to the cutting-edge of innovation in artificial intelligence, robotics or green technology.

But the capital is a city of inequalities as well as opportunities. Younger people from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially from some of London’s outer boroughs, those with mental health challenges, care leavers and young Londoners from some ethnic minoritised communities are just some of the people most likely to find themselves locked out of opportunity, with employers failing to benefit from their potential. When combined with the need for a young person to negotiate a complex and potentially overwhelming array of post-16 career, employment or education choices, so many young Londoners are not getting a fair shot to thrive in their careers.

Making sense of the landscape for young people

This is why the Central London Careers Hub, delivered by Reed in Partnership, is proud to have led on the production of this year’s Next Steps in London magazine, on behalf of all four London Careers Hubs, supported by the Mayor of London. It seeks to inspire and guide young people and their parents or carers through everything that they need to know to plan their next step and inspire them with possibilities to consider. Our magazine:

• Focuses on the growth sectors that will shape London’s future, outlining the kind of jobs available and the diverse routes into them. For example, did you know that alongside scientists, the life sciences sector is also powered by data, storytelling, logistics, design and more?
• Explains what T-levels, apprenticeships and the many other post-16 study options are in jargon-free language
• Contains stories and insights from young people and employers and practical advice on skills, interview preparation and more
• Recognises that these choices are about confidence and self-belief as much as anything else, with advice on coping with the challenges everyone faces when stepping out of their comfort zone

Empowering parents with relevant insight

Parents and carers are arguably the biggest influence on these decisions. Their support is invaluable, but most parents will understand that their preconceptions and own experience of work can be out of date or misaligned with young people’s aspirations. For the first time this year, Next Steps comes with a practical guide for parents and carers, designed to help them support their young people to develop their skills and have positive conversations about their identity, confidence, aspirations and next steps. This also reflects a wider national recognition of the critical role of parents in helping young people navigate their options and build their aspirations, as reflected in the revised Gatsby Benchmarks - the established benchmark of world class careers provision - that schools began working towards from September 2025.

Harnessing energy, talents and imaginations

As London’s Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan says in the foreword to the guide:

“Every young person should have access to the knowledge, skills and support they need to fulfil their potential and get a good start in life. And our city stands to benefit so much if we are able to harness the full energy, talents and imaginations of every young Londoner.”

If we are to fulfil the promise of the Government’s Youth Guarantee, which promises every young person aged 18-21 access to training, apprenticeships or support to find work, there’s no better place to start than supporting young people to navigate their next steps while they are still at school. Please do share this free resource with the young people you know to help support them to take their next step.

Next Steps in London and all the accompanying resources can be found on the London LMI website developed by the London Careers Hubs, where you can find a wealth of other resources on careers and opportunities in London.

To find out more about the Central London Careers Hub and how to get involved, visit londoncareerscentral.co.uk.