Careers Wales is the national careers service for Wales, funded by the Welsh Government. Their Brighter Futures mission is to empower individuals of all ages to make informed decisions about their education, training, and employment paths. From supporting learners in education in making subject choices to helping adults seeking new career directions. Careers Wales offers guidance, online resources, and events to connect people with the world of work.
A key component of this mission is Future Jobs Wales - an innovative, accessible, bilingual and interactive digital tool that provides insights into job trends, skills, industry growth, and regional opportunities across Wales.
The Challenges of Relying on Static Data Sources
Before launching Future Jobs Wales, Careers Wales faced significant challenges in delivering accurate and timely career information. Sue Davies and Ffion Jones, leading the LMI Team at Careers Wales, explained that their team had relied on a patchwork of national statistics and reports to gather insights. According to Sue:
We were sourcing LMI from all sorts of national datasets, but we needed a tool to help streamline that process and offer more localised insights.
A significant turning point came during a website migration in 2019 when one of their most popular resources, JobTrends, required a complete overhaul. The product presented industry-focused LMI for key Welsh industries, but the manual research process took months. "By the time we published it, the data was almost outdated," Sue admitted. Additionally, users were asking for more granularity:
We knew people wanted insights closer to home – at the local authority level – but other datasets just couldn’t deliver that.
An Easy (And Effective) Fix
Initially, Careers Wales licensed Lightcast's Analyst tool for independent research, but the website migration prompted Careers Wales to find a more dynamic and sustainable solution to keep their Future Jobs Wales platform current and make the data accessible in a meaningful way. So, they embedded Lightcast’s API to:
Automatically update LMI regularly instead of relying on static reports.
Provide granular, local insights at the 22 local authority levels across Wales.
Offer an interactive, user-friendly platform where individuals can explore industry trends, skills demand, and regional job opportunities.
Switching to the API was a game changer," Ffion noted. "It allowed us to integrate real-time data directly into our Future Jobs Wales product, ensuring the information stayed up to date.
Careers Wales worked closely with Lightcast throughout the process.
The support has been fantastic" said Sue. "When we spotted unexpected trends or anomalies, Lightcast connected us with their data specialists to help us understand what we were seeing.
How Lightcast Transformed Data Delivery
The Lightcast data integration has transformed how Careers Wales delivers labour market insights. One of the most significant improvements has been keeping data up-to-date.
Previously, the manual process of gathering and publishing labour market information meant that content was outdated almost as soon as it went live. Now, with Lightcast's API, Careers Wales can refresh its data on a regular basis, ensuring users have access to the latest trends and developments.
Another game-changing benefit has been the level of detail the data provides. Wales is a small country, and finding reliable data at a local authority level was challenging. Lightcast’s data granularity allowed Careers Wales to offer insights into the 22 local authorities across Wales — a feature their users had long been asking for.
Lightcast’s Analyst tool allows researchers to dive deep into the data, interpret findings, and present them in user-friendly formats. This flexibility extends beyond just the research team. Careers advisors now use these insights directly with learners and job seekers, helping them make informed decisions about their career paths.
Moreover, the partnership has strengthened Careers Wales' relationships with key stakeholders. Consultations with industry bodies like CITB, Education Workforce Council and the Regional Skills Partnerships have flourished as the credibility of Lightcast data opened new doors. Ffion commented:
It’s given us the ability to build stronger connections with those shaping Wales' future workforce.
What's Next?
Careers Wales sees Future Jobs Wales as an evolving resource with continuous improvements planned. The team is particularly interested in expanding its use of skills data to help individuals and employers better understand emerging workforce trends.
They are also exploring ways to refine their 800 Job Information resources and enhance stakeholder collaborations to ensure their LMI remains as relevant and impactful as possible.
Future Jobs Wales is the tip of the iceberg," said Sue. "We’re already exploring how we can enhance it further to support career decisions across Wales.
If you’re looking for accurate, granular data to support your career services, contact Lightcast here.
