College learners are pleading for more careers support after activities halved in two years – leaving many feeling unprepared for their next steps, a student survey has found. New census data shows careers lessons, face-to-face careers advice, mentoring and employer engagement have all fallen sharply since 2023 as college leaders struggle with funding pressures that limit their ability to provide tailored support. The findings come weeks after Alan Milburn’s interim report on youth inactivity revealed that careers guidance, while improved in recent years, remains unequal and work experience is too often treated as an afterthought. Researchers found college and sixth form students wanted more work experience, higher-quality placements and greater employer interaction to improve their routes into employment and career prospects. Today’s report, commissioned by the Association of Colleges (AoC) and produced by Youth Employment UK, analysed responses from 2,174 college and sixth form students who took part in the 2025 Youth Voice Census, which collected more than 8,200 responses overall. Just over half (51 per cent) of respondents said their college or sixth form supported them to develop the skills they will need for the future – unchanged from 2023, when careers support was delivered far more widely. Six in 10 students said employer visits, trips to employer sites and careers lessons helped prepare them for the future. However, delivery of careers activity declined considerably between 2023 and 2025. Careers lessons saw the steepest fall, dropping from 80 per cent of students in 2023 to just 32 per cent in 2025. Face-to-face careers advice fell from 75 per cent to 49 per cent over the same period, while mentoring more than halved from 45 per cent to 22 per cent. Employer visits also declined, with one in three students saying an employer had visited their college in 2025, compared with 63 per cent in 2023. Visits to employers also fell from 26 per cent to 12 per cent over the same period. The report said students were clear that they wanted more employer interaction and tailored one-to-one careers support. “They asked for clearer information about apprenticeships and employment routes, and stronger links between courses and careers,” the census said. The report also found that more than two in five (43 per cent) students had completed work experience in the past year, with many relying on family connections to secure placements. Lauren Mistry, deputy CEO at Youth Employment UK, said: “Young people are clear that work experience and connections to employers matter. If those opportunities depend too heavily on personal networks, the young people who need them most are at risk of missing out.” 1 in 4 absent from college for 10 or more days The census also highlighted stark inequalities in attendance, with one in four students missing more than 10 days of education in the previous 12 months. Just over a third (36 per cent) had missed between one and four days, while 18 per cent had missed between five and eight days. Lack of motivation or interest was the leading cause of short-term absence, followed by financial and transport difficulties and mental health or stress. Illness and health problems were also a common reason for absence, cited by nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of college and sixth form students. The report said disadvantaged learners face additional barriers to attending college and are at greater risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training). A third of students with additional needs missed college because of mental health or stress, compared with 19 per cent of those without additional needs. Disadvantaged students were also more likely to miss college because of caring responsibilities. Catherine Sezen, director of education policy at AoC, said the findings on attendance and careers education needed “serious consideration”. “It’s obvious that those who are disadvantaged, or those with additional needs, need extra support when at college,” she said. “The findings on their absence, and around work experience opportunities, are deeply worrying and, when combined, clearly show that they are at greater risk of becoming NEET than their peers. “Colleges do so much for their students, against all odds, but these findings underline the growing strain on the further education system, with funding pressures limiting colleges’ ability to provide tailored support, particularly for those who need it most. “We are yet again calling for increased investment, better integration of support services and a stronger national strategy for employer engagement.”