Supporting You Through the Updated Gatsby Benchmarks: How F4S Can Help You Deliver Meaningful Employer Encounters

The Gatsby Benchmarks have long been considered the gold standard in careers education, with over 90% of schools and colleges across the UK embedding them into their practice. Since their launch in 2018, schools have made huge strides—nearly tripling their progress in helping young people explore careers, build vital skills, and reach their potential.

But as the world continues to change, so too must the tools we use to prepare students for the future.

What’s Changing?

From September 2025, the Gatsby Benchmarks are being updated to reflect the evolving landscape of education, technology, and the labour market. While the core eight benchmarks and their titles remain the same, new guidance and five additional themes have been introduced to ensure they remain fit for purpose over the next decade.

The five new themes sharpen the focus on key priorities:

1. Careers at the heart of education and leadership
2. Inclusion and impact for each and every young person
3. Meaningful and varied encounters and experiences
4. Focusing on the use of information and data
5. Engagement of parents and carers

At F4S, we’re here to support you through this transition—especially when it comes to Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees.

What Does a “Meaningful” Encounter Look Like?

The updated guidance places much greater emphasis on the quality of employer encounters. It’s not just about ticking a box—it’s about giving students a real understanding of the world of work.

According to Gatsby, a meaningful encounter should:

• Have a clear purpose, shared with both the employer and the student
• Be underpinned by specific learning outcomes
• Include opportunities for two-way interaction between students and the employer
• Be followed by reflection time, helping students process what they’ve learned

How F4S Supports You to Meet These Expectations

We know how busy school and college life can be—so we’ve designed our platform to make it as easy as possible for you to deliver high-quality, impactful encounters that meet the new Benchmark 5 guidance.

Here’s how we do it:

✔️ Pre-Session Briefings

Before each session, we provide guidance to both yourself and role models to ensure everyone is aligned on the learning objectives and purpose of the session.

✔️ Storytelling with Real Impact

Our role models don’t just talk about what they do—they share personal stories about how they got there, why their work matters, and what they’ve learned along the way. This brings context and authenticity to every session.

✔️ Two-Way Interaction

Students get the chance to ask questions and engage directly with the speaker, creating a dynamic exchange that helps deepen understanding and spark curiosity.

✔️ Reflection Time

We encourage you to dedicate time after each session for students to reflect on what they’ve heard, what they’ve learned, and how it connects to their own goals and aspirations.

And the Best Part? It’s All Free

Using our intelligent F4S platform, you can browse role models across 50+ job roles, filter by gender, industry, or subject area, and book sessions—either in person or virtually—at a time that works for you. Sessions typically last an hour and are completely free to schools and colleges.

Book a Role Model and Bring Careers to Life

As careers education continues to evolve, we’re committed to supporting you every step of the way. Our mission is to help you create experiences that are not only meaningful, but truly transformative.

Give your students a real-world connection to what they’re learning. Book a role model today and bring your lessons to life.