National Careers Service

The challenge

Nationally, the National Careers Service works with more than 650,000 people every year to make effective decisions about their career, training and jobs. Effectively delivering the National Careers Service across such a significant proportion of England to a high standard requires a rigorous, evidence-based business model backed up with the right structure, the right people and the right policies and procedures. Furthermore, our delivery of the contract is designed from the bottom-up to be both scalable and adaptive to the wide variety of geographical settings and localised contexts in which we operate.

Our approach

Customers aged 19 and over can access support through the National Careers Service face-to-face, over the telephone and via the web. Our team of qualified and expert careers advisers deliver free, impartial and confidential careers advice sessions in a variety of readily accessible locations. These sessions help customers to explore their careers options and make careers decisions, reflect on their skills, abilities and experience, provide ongoing motivation and support with the ultimate aim of moving an individual into or closer to work, education or training. Working with employers, training organisations and colleges, we have been able to provide a best-in-class careers service which is underpinned by Education Development Trust's core values of excellence, integrity, accountability and collaboration.

We are highly experienced in delivering cutting edge careers IAG (information, advice and guidance). Our advisers are qualified to a minimum of Level 4 and many of them to Level 6 and higher. We provide our teams with a comprehensive programme of continuing professional development and excellent support from dedicated labour market intelligence, quality assurance and digital and social media specialists.

We are accredited to both the Matrix and Merlin Standards and in all our work we seek to demonstrate our belief in evidence-informed practice and service management. This is described and endorsed in our most recent Ofsted inspection report – view report (opens in a new window) – in which we were graded ‘outstanding’; in particular, our use of labour market information to inform practice and our approach to the use of digital tools is commended in the report.

Our impact

Our work delivering the National Careers Service changes lives, improves communities and benefits the national economy. Careers advice is a fundamental force in social mobilisation and allows individuals to reach their full potential and make the most of the opportunities available to them. 

Testimonials from customers, partners and stakeholders are supported by qualitative data gathered via our feedback process: 97% of customers in Yorkshire and the Humber felt that they had benefited from the service, as did 94% of customers in the North East and South East.