CareerTech Challenge Prize

CareerTech Challenge Prize

What was the CareerTech Challenge Prize?

The CareerTech Challenge Prize was a £1.2 million programme to develop data-driven solutions which help people understand the labour market and plan their future careers. It was part of the CareerTech Challenge, a £5.75 million partnership between Nesta, Challenge Works and the Department for Education to improve people’s working lives and unlock employment opportunities for the future.

The Prize sought digital solutions to improve access to the information and guidance people need to pursue fulfilling careers.

What did we do?

We provided £1.2 million and tailored packages of expert support for the development of digital solutions which improve career information, advice and guidance. Solutions combined innovative uses and sources of labour market information (LMI) to make high-quality, localised advice and guidance more accessible.

20 innovators each received a grant of £50,000, a tailored package of support and nine months to develop and test their solutions.

In March 2021, a winner and runner-up were selected from 20 finalists to receive prizes of £120,000 and £80,000 respectively.

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This challenge was funded by

  • Department for Education logo

The grant enabled us to take a seed of an idea and to make this a reality. As a result, we have now formed a viable SME company registered in Companies House. We have now developed and are about to roll-out a BETA version. We have sustained our partnerships (Underpinned by MoUs) and are in the process of extending the work further.

Prize finalist

Impact of the Prize

To understand the impact of the grants and the support we provided to the finalists, we set out three impact categories.

1. Breakthrough innovations: The Prize incentivized, attracted, and enabled the development of  innovative solutions to provide LMI based careers’ information advice and guidance to the programme beneficiaries.

The Prize was successful in attracting new innovators – over half (61%)the Prize finalists had not provided careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) to the programme beneficiaries prior to participating in the Prize, and 39% had not provided any CIAG before entering the Prize.

2. Helping innovators thrive: The Prize mobilised innovators, prompted collaborations and partnerships and built skills and capabilities.

67% of finalists felt that the Prize helped them to secure valuable commercial partnerships

77% of finalists formed new partnerships and collaborations directly because of the Prize (both during the Prize and in order to enter it)

3. Systemic change: The Prize is generating key insights into the opportunities and challenges of existing LMI. We hope that these and other insights gained will be useful to future policies and interventions.

At least three finalists have been able to secure external investment with the help of the Prize, and several more are preparing for future funding rounds.

I really enjoyed the ‘community’ that has built up across fellow finalists through our shared experience…I think I spoke with most fellow finalists and I’m genuinely excited to see how they progress beyond the prize. I’ve welcomed the opportunity to share our expertise and knowledge on the LMI side of things.

Prize finalist

What did we learn?

We partnered with the Learning & Work Institute to research how our 20 finalists designed and built their data-driven solutions, identifying valuable insights for future innovators, funders and policymakers.

These ranged from the importance of engaging directly with jobseekers and careers advisors, to how data holders can improve the quality and usability of their data, and support collaboration.

Experience from the CareerTech Challenge

Winner & runner-up

A career advisor holds up a paper prototype of Bob UK to get feedback from refugee clients

Bob – Winner

Bob is an automated online coach that gets crucial, life-changing employment advice to people who need it, quickly, easily and for free. Developed by non-profit Bayes Impact, Bob helps users understand how their skills can fit with those required by employers.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BOB

Three screenshots of the Would You Rather Be app showing the relevant pathways to become a mechanic, such as completing GCSEs in English and Maths, and a diploma in light vehicle maintenance.

Would You Rather Be – Runner-up

Would You Rather Be is an AI-power app to help people find career happiness. Users answer 10 minutes of quick-fire questions, and the platform calculates the careers they’d thrive in and presents them with hyper-personalised pathways into each.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WOULD YOU RATHER BE

The finalists

The judges

Fiona Aldridge smiles at the camera

Dr Fiona Aldridge

Director for Policy and Research, Learning and Work Institute

Enrico Daga faces the camera

Enrico Daga

Research Fellow at The Open University

Enrico’s LinkedIn profile

Jyldyz Djumalieva smiles at the camrea

Jyldyz Djumalieva

Head of Open Jobs Data at Nesta

Jyldyz’s LinkedIn profile

Ryan Dunn faces the camera

Ryan Dunn

Data Science Hub Lead at Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Ryan’s LinkedIn profile

Shivvy Jervis faces the camera

Shivvy Jervis

Futurist and Keynote Speaker on Sustainable Innovation

Shivvy’s LinkedIn profile

Patrick Lee faces the camera

Patrick Lee

Service Owner for the National Retraining Scheme

Patrick’s LinkedIn profile

Abi Mohamed faces the camera

Abi Mohamed

Co-founder and Tech Lead of Community Growth Ventures

Abi’s LinkedIn profile

Andrew Pearson faces the camera

Andrew Pearson

Creator of Learn With Unite

Andrew’s LinkedIn profile

Louise Proctor smiles at the camera

Louise Proctor

Head of the National Careers Service

Louisa’s Twitter

Dr. Cath Sleeman smiles at the camera

Dr Cath Sleeman

Head of Data Discovery at Nesta

Dr Sleeman’s Twitter

Georgina Watts smiles at the camera

Georgina Watts

Lead Product Owner for the National Retraining Scheme

Georgina’s LinkedIn profile

The CareerTech Challenge included both a prize and a fund to:

  • Reward digital solutions that improve access to accurate, data-driven career information, advice and guidance.
  • Provide grant funding for innovative tech solutions which motivate people and support them to learn new skills and retrain.
  • Promote innovative uses of Labour Market Information.>

Why did we do this?

More than six million people in the UK are employed in occupations likely to change radically or disappear entirely by 2030. This trend is exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, with changes felt more acutely by those already in low-paid, insecure work and disproportionately affecting women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

Without urgent action we risk widening existing inequalities and people being trapped in insecure, low paid employment or forced out of work altogether.

By backing digital innovations that support workers to learn new skills or provide careers’ guidance, we wanted to learn more about what’s effective in online adult learning and how labour market information can be used in innovative ways.

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