About the author…

Klara Reddy and Rachel McCarthy are both national lead practitioners for careers education at OAT. And Adam Tan is a careers leader at Ormiston Bushfield Academy in Peterborough.

The value of careers leader training

By Klara Reddy, Rachel McCarthy and Adam Tan

  21 October, 2021

This article was first written for The Careers & Enterprise Company’s “Connect for Trusts” magazine and then as a further blog on The Careers & Enterprise Company website, published on 12 October 2021.

In this blog, national lead practitioners for careers education, Klara Reddy and Rachel McCarthy, and careers leader at Ormiston Bushfield Academy, Adam Tan reflect on the value of the fully funded careers leader training. 

Why should trusts provide careers leader training? 

The unique role of a careers leader is a fantastic opportunity to have an impact on the lives of young people. In 2018, Sir John Holman articulated that “career guidance is one of the keys to social mobility,” so we need passionate and driven individuals to lead a careers programme that makes a real difference for our pupils – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.   

Yet, the size of the role, and the influence that is needed to perform it well, can be underestimated by schools, and can sometimes be given to colleagues with little experience or any training.   

High-quality careers training is vital for our careers leaders; they need to fully understand the complexities of the role and why it is so important. At OAT, we want our careers leaders to have training to feel empowered and confident to perform their roles well. 

Here are some quotes from careers leaders who have completed the bursary funded offer from CEC: 

Adam Tan, careers lead, STEM lead and science teacher, Ormiston Bushfield Academy said:

“Completing the Post Graduate Award in Careers Leadership was empowering, informative and helped give direction to the careers program at my academy. Being new to post, I found the conference to be particularly insightful – the seminars and recommended reading helped me to understand the history of CEIAG in the UK and contextualise my agency as a careers leader in driving change.  

In addition to informing the academy development plan, having the opportunity to inspect how CEIAG was delivered and researching leadership theories, empowered me to become an informed, knowledgeable, and active leader within the school.”  

Rachel McCarthy, careers leader at Ormiston Forge Academy and OAT lead practitioner for careers and eco-trust, said:

“The course allowed me to read around the subject of career theory, which gave me confidence in revising the design of the career programme in school and make the necessary improvements to provision to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks. It also provided a reminder of policies and frameworks to support practice. 

“I was able to network and collaborate with other careers leaders and share best practice and ideas. The course made me reflect on how exciting this role is, as it impacts on every student, getting them ready for their future ‘world of work’. It has helped raise the profile of careers and ensure the importance of a ‘whole school’ approach is recognised. Since completing the course, I have been able to help gain the Quality in Careers Standards at my school and raise the Gatsby Benchmarks even further. I have also been able to offer support to other academies within the trust to gain their QiCS as well.  

“The funded careers leader training that the CEC provides is invaluable, interesting and inspiring.”  


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About the author…

Klara Reddy and Rachel McCarthy are both national lead practitioners for careers education at OAT. And Adam Tan is a careers leader at Ormiston Bushfield Academy in Peterborough.