Careers Leaders are key statutory positions in schools and colleges. They are appointed to shape careers provision in their setting.
The role was introduced when the government rolled out a new Careers Strategy in December 2017.
Emphasising the significance of the Gatsby Benchmarks, the strategy formalised the requirement for all schools and colleges to appoint a designated Careers Leader, shaping the core of careers provision.
What does a Careers Leader do?
Careers Leaders are responsible for planning and delivering a school or college's careers programme. They should be ensuring, among other things, that their education setting has:
- a solid, quality-assured careers programme that meets the expectations set out in the Gatsby Benchmarks
- a full careers programme published on its website, including any arrangements for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to talk to pupils
- tracked the career destinations of young people from the school and is using this information to improve the effectiveness of the careers programme
The main responsibilities of a Careers Leader can be streamlined into leadership, management, coordination, and networking. It is a senior role that requires the person doing it to have a clear overview of the school's careers provision.
They are also responsible for ensuring that the careers programme continuously improves, delivering the impact needed for young people.
For full details on the roles and responsibilities of a Careers Leader, visit:
Useful resources
Access the Surrey Careers Hub resources pages to support you in delivering consistent, high-quality careers programmes.
Some of the most popular links for Careers Leaders we have listed below.
- Careers Leader Training - fully funded, flexible training from the Careers & Enterprise Company's (CEC) designed to support the growth of Careers Leaders at all levels
- Online training module - free online learning modules hosted on the CEC's digital hub providing a good introduction to the role
- FES Connect: a virtual community for Further Education colleges, sixth form colleges and training providers to share best practices and resources to drive innovation in careers education.
- Surrey Careers Hub weekly email - sign up below
