WELCOME to the Quality in Careers Consortium’s website.
We’re pleased to provide key information about us and the Quality in Careers Standard – the single national quality award for overall careers education and guidance provision in secondary and special schools, colleges and other learning providers.
Our website also includes details of all schools, colleges and other learning providers who currently hold the national Standard. These are published on the National Register of Award Holders.
The context in which we operate is set out in the latest Statutory Guidance (January 2023) from the Department for Education to schools on fulfilling their statutory duty, and its guidance to colleges. The Statutory Guidance builds heavily upon the Gatsby Benchmarks for “Good Careers Guidance”.
The DfE “strongly recommends all secondary schools and colleges” to work towards and achieve the national Quality in Careers Standard. Here’s the link to the DfE’s updated 2023 Guidance: Careers guidance and access for education and training providers – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
BACKGROUND: How did the Consortium & the Quality in Careers Standard become established?
The starting point was the Careers Profession Task Force of 2009/10, which recommended national validation of England’s (then) 20+ individually-named Quality Awards for careers provision.
Here’s the Task Force’s formal report (October 2011) recommending the establishment of Quality in Careers. It was prepared by a project group convened by Careers England involving leading experts in the field and all of the previously individually named careers Quality Award providers.
The Quality in Careers Consortium was established in 2012 as an Unincorporated Association. This link takes you to more details of the Consortium – including its Constitution and its Consortium Board.
The work of the Consortium initially (2012-16) concentrated upon national validation of England’s then individually named careers Quality Awards. Once this was completed, in 2017, the Quality in Careers Standard replaced those individual awards, becoming the single national quality award. With effect from April 2017, the previous providers of the individually-named awards ceased to award these and became Licensed Awarding Bodies for the national Quality in Careers Standard.
A more detailed history of the former careers Quality Awards and the Quality in Careers Standard is available here.
The Consortium & the Standard today
Today, the Consortium owns the national Quality in Careers Standard. Its Consortium Board oversees and governs its implementation. The Board approves and regularly updates the Guide to the Standard, and the supporting materials that set out the national assessment and accreditation procedures are hosted here.
The Board has appointed a Quality in Careers Director, Erica Rowell, succeeding Paul Chubb who, after 13 years as Director, retired from the Directorship on 31st March 2025.
Paul was appointed as Chair of the Consortium Board on 1st April 2025, and he continues to act as the organising secretary for the Consortium.
The Board has also established a small team of Professional Advisers who act as assessment report writers, as national Licensing Panel advisers and act as key links with allocated Licensed Awarding Bodies.
In 2019, the Consortium amended its Constitution to enable it to contract with the Department for Education to receive funding legally. It did so by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Career Development Institute for it to become the ‘enabling host legal entity’ for the Consortium. The DfE provided important grant funding to the Consortium from 2019-20 to 2023-24.
In June 2021, the Consortium also launched its offer to Awarding Bodies providing quality awards for careers education in primary schools, of ‘National Endorsement’ for their award.
Further news on developments in Quality in Careers is regularly posted on this website.
Please direct any questions or comments on Quality in Careers via our “Get in Touch” link.
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