National Careers Service


The National Careers Service is the English publicly-funded careers service founded in April 2012 for persons aged 13 and over.

History

The National Careers Service was established on the April 5, 2012, replacing Next Step and Connexions Direct.
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.
In July 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions announced plans to merge the National Careers Service with Jobcentre Plus.

Services

The service focuses on supporting six priority groups to get into work, including:
As well as phone appointments with career advisors, its assistance also includes:
  1. Skills assessments
  2. Career profiles
  3. Locating training courses
  4. CV and interview advice
  5. Disability support

    Availability

It is available online, over the phone, by email, and by post. 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, Skills Development Scotland and Careers Wales respectively. There is also a dedicated careers service for the Isle of Man.

Matrix standard

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.