Morrisby and CareerChatUK Launch Think-Piece on Careers 2035: AI and the Future of Career Guidance

Morrisby, in partnership with CareerChat UK, has formally launched a new research think-piece entitled “Careers 2035: What does AI mean for the future of career guidance?”. This publication explores how artificial intelligence might shape the careers guidance landscape over the next decade, providing actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and careers professionals across the UK.

About the Careers 2035 Think-Piece

The think-piece was produced by Associate Professor Deirdre Hughes OBE of CareerChat UK and Dr Chris Percy, Co-Founders, CareerChat UK and commissioned by Morrisby. It examines:

• Potential scenarios for AI in career guidance by 2035
  
• How technology can enhance personalised support for learners, teaching and pastoral staff
  
• Benefits and challenges of integrating AI into schools, colleges, universities, careers and employability services
  

By combining expert research with practical illustrations, the report serves as a roadmap for understanding how AI can support career decision-making, opportunity awareness, and skills development in young people and adults.

The Launch Event

The formal launch took place on Thursday 21st November in London, attended by an audience of careers and employability experts, educators, and other key stakeholders from tech and other industries. Key highlights included:

• Presentations by Associate Professor Deirdre Hughes OBE and Dr Chris Percy, illustrating AI-driven scenarios and their potential impact on the design and delivery of careers support systems, including career guidance
  
• A panel discussion chaired by Jane Hamilton, journalist and careers expert, featuring:
  
  • Rachel Sandby-Thomas CB, Registrar, University of Warwick
    
  • Prof Simon Hepburn, Chief Executive of The Security Institute
    
  • Joanne Carrington, Head of Guidance at Morrisby
    

Audience members engaged actively, asking questions that sparked lively discussion about the future of careers, AI applications, and evolving strategies at a national, regional and local level to strengthen all-age careers support systems.

During the event, Dr Hughes and Dr Percy presented several future-facing AI scenarios, including:

1. AI-powered personalised guidance: Students interacting with chatbots that adapt recommendations based on skills, interests, and labour market trends.
   
2. Data-driven career insights: Aggregated analytics helping schools and advisers identify skills gaps and emerging career pathways.
   
3. AI as a decision-support tool: Enhancing, rather than replacing, professional guidance by offering evidence-based options and suggestions.
   

These examples illustrated the practical and ethical considerations of introducing AI into career guidance.

Why This Think-Piece Matters

The collaboration between Morrisby and CareerChat UK underscores several key trends:

1. AI Integration in Career Exploration

The research highlights how AI can scale personalised support for individuals, making careers, information, advice and guidance more accessible 24/7 and reducing bottlenecks in traditional careers services.

2. Forward-Looking Insights for 2035

By considering possible scenarios over the next decade, the think-piece gives schools, colleges, universities careers and employability providers and government policymakers a dynamic foresights framework for future-proofing all-age careers support strategies and practices.

3. Evidence-Based Recommendations

Morrisby’s commissioning of this research ensures the findings are grounded in practical experience and expert knowledge. Recommendations are actionable, not just theoretical, helping careers professionals implement new strategies effectively.

4. Collaboration Between Experts and Practitioners

Combining Morrisby’s leadership in career assessment tools with CareerChat UK’s AI expertise creates a unique blend of theory and application, ensuring solutions are practical, ethical, and forward-thinking.

How Morrisby Supports Career Guidance Today

Their solutions help:

• Provide psychometric assessments and career guidance to match interests, aptitudes, and career pathways
  
• Support educators with data-driven insights into student engagement and outcomes
  
• Extend career guidance beyond traditional classroom sessions
  

The Careers 2035 think-piece builds on joint expertise with CareerChat UK, exploring how AI can enhance career guidance while maintaining ethical standards and human oversight.

Real-World Applications

The think-piece highlights several practical applications for AI in career guidance:

1. Enhanced Accessibility
   
   • AI chatbots and digital platforms ensure individuals in remote or underserved areas can access reliable careers guidance.
     
2. Data-Informed Decision Making
   
   • Educators and careers advisers can jointly draw on AI insights to identify skills gaps, emerging industries, and personalised pathways for individuals.
     
3. Interactive Learning
   
   • AI tools can provide immersive simulations, career pathway mapping, and highly personalised insights to engage young people(and adults) more effectively.
     
4. Ethical and Safe Implementation
   
   • Calls for research into AI to enable further experimentation, basically a sandbox approach. Morrisby and CareerChatUK each emphasise responsible AI use, with guardrails to protect student data and provide appropriate guidance.
     

Insights from the Panel Discussion

The launch panel provided perspectives from multiple sectors:

• Rachel Sandby-Thomas CB discussed how universities could leverage AI tools to better support student career planning.
  
• Prof Simon Hepburn highlighted the need for industry-relevant guidance, ensuring students acquire skills demanded by employers.
  
• Joanne Carrington shared practical advice on implementing AI tools like CAT within school and college settings.

This combination of research and discussion illustrates the multi-stakeholder value of AI in career guidance.

Download the Careers 2035 Think-Piece

The full think-piece is available for download here. It offers comprehensive insights, AI scenarios, and recommendations for anyone interested in the future of careers guidance.

To book a demo of CiC: https://cicichat.co.uk/cici-chat-bot/