Students are turning to AI for careers advice. FE is playing catch-up.

The Prospects Early Careers Survey found nearly one in five UK students and graduates has used ChatGPT or Copilot for careers guidance. In FE, where the Gatsby Benchmarks require independent careers advice, the question of how AI tools fit into statutory provision has not been resolved.

By Wistl Newsroom · 12 May 2026 · FE / Training

The Prospects Early Careers Survey 2026 found that nearly 18 per cent of UK students and graduates had used generative AI tools, primarily ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, as a source of careers advice, with 84 per cent rating them as helpful. A separate BBC survey last month found that two thirds of 13 to 16 year olds said they would use AI to help them get a job. Research from the universities of Nottingham and Leicester, highlighted in analysis by FE Week , found that AI chatbots had roughly a 73 per cent probability of being judged more empathetic than a human clinician, a finding that helps