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New Chair of Careers council announced

The Skills Minister John Hayes has announced the appointment of careers expert Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE as the Chair if the new National Council for Careers.

The Council will be responsible for providing expert careers advice, whilst also advising the Government on the future development of the service.

It is hoped that it will improve professionalism, forge further links with business, and ensure advice reflects the competition and complexity of the labour market.

Dr Hughes is highly experienced in the careers guidance sector, and is a Commissioner and member of the Executive Board of Directors at the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. She was awarded an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours List for her service to careers guidance, and will be supported on the council by ten members hwo have expertise in the sector.

John Hayes commented: “I am delighted that Dr Deirdre Hughes and a team of experienced and dedicated professionals have agreed to work on this extremely important council which will be at the forefront of transforming careers guidance.

“The Council includes representatives from across the public, private and third sector, as well as from the careers profession, and with a range of backgrounds including HR, finance and communications.”

Dr Hughes is now looking forward to leading the service. She added: “On behalf of the Minister I am delighted to bring together leading businesses and those from the education sector to jointly review the progress and impact of the National Careers Service, and to develop a future perspective.

“We’ve been given an exciting opportunity to look at the design and development of career provision in England, to consult widely with differing bodies, and to create a vision for high impact careers services. We look forward to this new challenge.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .