National Careers Service

National Careers Service
Agency overview
Formed2012; 13 years ago (2012)
JurisdictionEngland
Parent departmentDepartment for Education
Websitehttps://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk

The National Careers Service is the English publicly-funded careers service founded in April 2012 for persons aged 13 and over. It is available online, over the phone, by email, and by post. As well as phone appointments with career advisors, its assistance also includes skills assessments, career profiles, locating training courses, CV and interview advice, and disability support.[1]

In July 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced plans to merge the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus.[2]

History

The National Careers Service was established on the April 5, 2012.[3] It replaced a service called Next Step which was launched on the August 1, 2010 as an integration of the existing web-based, telephone-based and local face-to-face careers services for adults.[4] It also replaced another service called Connexions Direct, a service for young persons and persons with learning disabilities offering career support.[5]

At launch, the Government aimed for the National Careers Service to have the capacity to help 700,000 adults face-to-face each year, to handle up to one million telephone advice sessions and provide 20 million online sessions.[6] The service focuses on supporting six priority groups to get into work. These include: young people aged 18–24 who are not in education, employment or training; those unemployed for more than 12 months; low-skilled adults; single parents; unemployed adults over 50; and adults with special educational needs or who have a disability.[7]

From March 2013. all local centres and the contact centre providers must undergo a matrix Standard assessment, with all providers meeting the enhanced matrix Standard. The matrix Standard is an independent quality standard for information, advice and guidance services. To achieve accreditation, organisations must undergo inspection and show that they meet requirements around leadership and management, resources, service delivery and continuous quality improvement.[8]

Availability

The service is available throughout England, with devolved responsibility for careers advice in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Publicly funded careers services for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are provided by Careers Service Northern Ireland,[9] Skills Development Scotland[10] and Careers Wales[11] respectively. There is also a dedicated careers service for the Isle of Man.[12]

References

  1. ^ "National Careers Service". JobHelp. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  2. ^ Patel, Anviksha (2024-07-11). "DWP to merge Jobcentre Plus and National Careers Service". feweek.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  3. ^ "National Careers Service: the right advice at the right time". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  4. ^ "Skills for Sustainable Growth : Consultation on the future direction of skills policy" (PDF). Department for Business Innovation and Skills. July 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Teenage job advice is cut by £100 million in England". BBC News. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  6. ^ "Further Education and Skills System Reform Plan: Building a World Class Skills System". Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  7. ^ "Charity secures major deal to deliver career services across south east". Kent Online. 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  8. ^ "National Careers Service delivery by Jobs 22 receives Matrix accreditation". Jobs 22 Ltd. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  9. ^ "Careers - nidirect". Nidirect.gov.uk. 23 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Scotland's national skills agency". Skills Development Scotland.
  11. ^ "Home : Careers Wales". Careerswales.com.
  12. ^ "Isle of Man Government - Careers guidance". Gov.im.