ESFA’s National Careers Service head awarded in New Year’s Honours
ESFA’s Head of National Careers Service awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Louise Proctor, ESFA’s Head of National Careers Service, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours for her services to education and careers.
Louise has made an extraordinary contribution to society by supporting adults to access careers advice.
The National Careers Service, which Louise presently leads, after establishing in 2012, helps 400,000 people a year get support in their community and helps several million access the service online so that they can make decisions about learning, training or work.
After leaving school, Louise trained and worked as a professional secondary school careers adviser in some of the most deprived communities in Coventry. She helped young people make important life choices about work and education, that proved pivotal in determining their future after leaving school.
Today, Louise is responsible for the design, implementation, and operational delivery of the National Careers Service. This service supports increased social mobility, productivity and earning power for thousands of customers.
The service also supports the economic growth and productivity of the country, by helping millions of people identify the skills they need to apply for future jobs.
On winning the award, Louise Proctor, Head of National Careers Service said:
“I am really honoured to be recognised in this way. I am passionate about the power of careers advice and how it can change lives for the better.
“I am inspired every day by the talented, hardworking people that I work with and by the thousands of professional careers advisers that are improving people’s lives as I write.”
Eileen Milner, ESFA’s Chief Executive said:
“I am delighted that Louise’s hard work and dedication to education and the careers service has been recognised.
“Louise should be very proud of her outstanding achievements. She has dedicated her entire career to supporting people to improve their circumstances and life chances and played a pivotal role in establishing a successful National Careers Service where every £1 spent by the service benefits the economy by £17.”
The National Careers Service offers impartial advice and guidance to young people and adults, enabling them to take action to take control of their lives, flourish and prosper through developing new skills ready for new opportunities.
Satisfaction with the service remains consistently high, with 83% of customers independently reporting they are satisfied, and with all of our contractors graded ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.