Big Listen Main Report

The Big Listen Report summarises findings from a research exercise conducted in four multi-academy trusts in 2025. The Big Listen Project involved focus groups with pupils in years 10 and 12 of participating schools and academies, covering the themes of: employability skills, aspirations and ambitions, work experience, influential encounters and local labour market awareness. The focus groups provided unique insights on the experiences of pupils and the role education plays is preparing them for employment. Complementary data on the experiences of pupils was obtained from the Futures Skills Questionnaire and on employers from the Local Skills Improvement Planning (LSIP) data feeds. The Big Listen took place against an evolving policy landscape in which the Gatesby Benchmarks have been updated to expand the definitions of meaningful and varied encounters and experiences.