The National Careers Council

The National Careers Council advised the government on improving careers provision for young people and adults in England.

The National Careers Council (NCC) has closed.

See the government’s statutory guidance on careers guidance provision for young people in schools.

About the NCC

The NCC was chaired by Dr Deirdre Hughes, OBE, with 9 members and 3 associate leading experts from business, education and careers sectors. The council was established in May 2012 by the Skills Minister to advise government on improving careers provision for young people and adults in England.

NCC terms of reference

NCC revised terms of reference

PDF, 22.6 KB, 1 page

NCC members

Members were:

  • Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE (Chair)
  • Linda JC Taylor OBE
  • David McNerney
  • Rajay Naik
  • Ruth Spellman OBE
  • Jenny Rudge OBE
  • Kieran Gordon
  • Steve Higginbotham
  • Neil Carberry
  • Trudy Norris-Grey
  • Simon Surtees MA DipCG (associate member)
  • Brian Lightman (associate member)
  • Nick Chambers (associate member)

You can view the NCC - members’ biographies (PDF, 95.4 KB, 4 pages).

Reports

Careers guidance provision: National Career Council’s second report

Careers guidance provision: National Career Council’s first report

Plans and activities

You can view more detailed information about the council’s plans and activities in the NCC: plans and activities presentation - January 2013 (MS Powerpoint Presentation, 168 KB).

Meeting updates

The NCC met with senior officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, Skills Funding Agency and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) on 30 January 2014. Together, these organisations provided a forum for sharing policy developments and feeding in advice to government. The chair of the NCC wrote an open letter from the chair of the NCC (PDF, 187 KB, 1 page) following the meeting.

NCC statements

Evidence to Lord Heseltine Review

On 30 August 2012 members of the NCC met with the Lord Heseltine review team. They discussed how spending departments and other relevant public sector bodies interact with the private sector, and their ability to produce pro-growth policies. The meeting covered:

  • raising the work-readiness of school leavers and those acquiring tertiary qualifications
  • remedying skills deficiencies in the current workforce
  • addressing the longstanding NEET (not in education, employment or training) problem and encouraging apprenticeships and support for the lower skilled

You can view a copy of the written evidence submitted to Lord Heseltine’s review (PDF, 321 KB, 8 pages).

Evidence to the Richard Review

On 7 September 2011 the NCC submitted formal written evidence to the Richard Review of apprenticeships (MS Word Document, 40.7 KB).

On 3 September 2012 the NCC submitted formal written evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee inquiry into careers guidance for young people (MS Word Document, 53.2 KB).

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