Introduction

This case study highlights the collaborative efforts of Caitlin Coogan (Enterprise Coordinator), Steve Trotter (Strategic Hub Lead), Sue Alder (CDI), Cameron Nimmo (CEC), Norma Odain-Hines (Morgan Sindall Construction) and Claire Nix (CDI) to coordinate and deliver a Hertfordshire based cohort of Careers Leaders in completing their Level 6 qualification in Careers Leadership. The primary objective was to improve numbers of Careers Leaders who are Level 6 trained in Hertfordshire.

Background

Historically the turnover of Careers Leaders in Hertfordshire has meant that many staff in the Careers Leadership position have not completed their Level 6 qualification (accredited or non-accredited). Additionally, as the current offering for completing the course has been primarily offered as online learning only, many Careers Leaders have not taken up the offering as they would prefer to learn with a face-to-face facilitator. (Ellie Ridgeway, Careers Lead at Haileybury Turnford School) explained that she would prefer time out of the school environment to train alongside others also completing the qualification, “I prefer the in-person days – for networking as well as my own focus and concentration”.

To raise the Hub KPI for trained Careers Leaders in post, Steve Trotter and Caitlin Coogan collaborated with the CEC and CDI to host a hybrid model of delivery of the course, 3 days face-to-face hosted at the Morgan Sindall Construction head offices in Welwyn Garden City, and 2 online sessions. These were delivered over the course of the 24/25 academic year and allowed the Careers Leaders to complete either the Accredited or Non-Accredited route.

As a result of this hybrid model, 13 Careers Leaders joined the cohort this year, successfully completed their training and Hertfordshire will be hosting a second course during the 25/26 academic year. (Dustin King, Careers Lead and Assistant Head at Dacorum Educational Support Centre) expressed that “the hybrid model – a mix of face-to-face and online sessions – was ideal. It offered the benefits of in-person interaction while also allowing flexibility, which worked really well for me”. 

Hertfordshire Careers Hub Contributions:

1.  Collaboration of stakeholders: Hosted a meeting with the CEC and CDI to discuss the logistics of hosting a Hertfordshire cohort of the course. From this meeting all relevant training dates were decided with the facilitator and information was shared promptly with Career Leaders interested in completing the course.

2.  Employer contacts: Used existing relationship with Norma Odain-Hines (Morgan Sindall Construction) to host the 3 face-to-face days in a centralised location for all the Career Leads to attend.

3.  Management of stakeholders: Caitlin worked as the direct liaison for all the Careers Leaders completing the course and Claire Nix (facilitator) to ensure all attended on the correct days, had the correct information to be able to complete the course and knew who to go to with queries. Caitlin then attended all 5 training days to ensure all was well and running smoothly.

4.  Providing Expertise: When attending the training days Caitlin and Steve shared knowledge of the Gatsby Benchmarks, Statutory Guidance and Hertfordshire Skills Framework to aid discussions.

 

Careers Development Institute Contributions:

1.  Hosting information sessions: The CDI hosted 2 online sessions prior to the course starting with interested Careers Leaders to share information about the course and give them the chance to ask any questions they had before signing up to complete.

2.  Facilitation of the course: The course was facilitated by Claire Nix and she was incredibly informative and engaging with the content, both in person and online. (Dustin King, Careers Lead and Assistant Head at Dacorum Educational Support Centre) said that “Claire’s delivery style was excellent – well-paced, clear, and extremely knowledgeable. She created a safe and engaging environment that encouraged participation and made it easy to stay focused throughout the sessions”.

3.  Guidance appointments for participants: Between each training day Claire met with Careers Leads completing the accredited route to discuss their learning and advise on their assignments.

Careers and Enterprise Company Contributions:

1.   Funding for appropriate training for Careers Leaders: Strong careers leadership ensures that all learners receive high-quality career guidance, meaningful workplace experiences, and opportunities that support successful transitions into further education, training, or employment. To support this, the CEC offer Careers Leaders a range of resources and services including fully funded and flexible Careers Lead training. 

Aligning to CEC strategic priorities:

1. Raise the Quality of Careers Provision in Schools and Colleges through training

• Gatsby Benchmarks: Supporting schools in achievement of Benchmark 1 by ensuring an appropriately trained Careers Lead is in post. Also supported participants to understand and be confident implementing meaningful application of all of the Gatsby Benchmarks.
• Compass+: Hertfordshire Careers Hub hosted an ad hoc Compass+ webinar ‘Exploring Key Benefits of Compass+’ with Struan Bates (Compass+ Consultant) for the Careers Leaders on the course to give them an overview of FSQ, Learner Data and other key Compass+ tools.

2. Provide More High-Quality Experiences with Employers

• Employer Engagement: Enabled the Careers Leaders to learn from each other and discuss successful examples of employer engagement within their schools – such as running Careers Fairs and inviting employers into school to interact with students. Also, through course content, Careers Leaders learnt to identify a progressive and responsive approach to meaningful encounters with employers and to experiences of the workplace.

3. Amplify Apprenticeships, Technical, and Vocational Routes

• Apprenticeships and Vocational Routes: Careers Leads discussed the importance of highlighting all next steps to all pupils and shared contacts and ideas between themselves to support in achieving this.

4. Target Interventions for Economically Disadvantaged Young People

• Support for Disadvantaged Students: Two Careers Leads on the course joined us from Educational Support Centre’s (ESC) and gave insightful contributions to conversations around supporting those with disadvantage – sharing resources with others on the course to implement in their mainstream institutions.

Positive Outcomes to Highlight:

·    Careers Leaders Level 6 Qualified: In line with the 2025 ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’ and Gatsby Benchmark 1, “Every institution should appoint an appropriately trained careers leader to develop and direct the careers programme”.

·    Partnership between Hertfordshire Careers Leaders: The course enabled the Careers Leaders to make connections to those in similar roles to give them more support in knowing they are doing the best for the young people in their schools. (Ellie Ridgeway, Careers Lead at Haileybury Turnford School) expressed that “meeting other careers leaders in the same role as me, though in a variety of settings and professional roles, was hugely beneficial to be able to hear about other people’s journeys, struggles and successes. Meeting these people enabled me to realise I am not alone in this role and there are so many levels of what we are doing".

·       Success of hybrid model of delivery: Hybrid model of 3 face-to-face days and 2 virtual was proven effective for the facilitation of the course as it allowed the Careers Leaders flexibility in their training whilst also taking them out of the school environment to allow for their own learning and development outcomes. Due to the success of the cohort Herts Careers hub will look to duplicate this model with another cohort of Careers Leaders for the 25/26 Academic year. 

Conclusion

The success of this year’s Careers Leader Level 6 cohort highlights the importance of collaboration, innovation, and responsiveness in delivering effective careers leadership training. By addressing key challenges—such as accessibility, engagement, and stakeholder coordination—the hybrid model proved to be an effective solution, leading to a significant increase in qualified Careers Leaders in Hertfordshire.

This approach not only supported participants in achieving their Level 6 qualification but also fostered valuable networking opportunities, enhancing the collective expertise within the region. The positive feedback from Careers Leaders underscores the impact of combining face-to-face interaction with flexible online learning, ensuring meaningful engagement and sustained professional growth.

Given the success of this cohort, Caitlin alongside the Hertfordshire Careers Hub and its partners is well-positioned to continue refining and expanding this model in the 25/26 academic year. With strengthened partnerships, increased participation, and a commitment to elevating careers guidance standards for Hertfordshire Careers Leaders, this model sets a promising precedent for future training cohorts.

Testimonial’s

Claire Nix, Training Associate, Careers Development Institute "I think there has been a particular value in working with a Hertfordshire based groups. From the start efforts were made to ensure that careers leaders understood the demands of the course and were fully engaged with the value of the training. This was supported through initial online information exchange sessions before people signed up. Once the training started, staff from the Hub were on hand to offer advice on resources available locally and to provide follow up support. These comments sum up widely expressed views about the value of the local network:

It has been useful to see how other schools organise their career programme and share resources and ideas.

Our Careers Leader has been able to work collaboratively with other schools’ careers leaders. "The delivery method of three days face to face and two days online was generally well received. The proportion of face-to-face delivery helped to cement the relationships and meant that the online sessions were more participative than is sometimes the case. It was particularly positive to have hosting by a local employer for the three days of face-to-face delivery."

Claire Wicks, Careers Lead, Loreto College, St Albans - (Completed the accredited route) "I’d just like to say it’s been a most ‘meaningful’ endeavour for me having not studied for a long time! The hybrid delivery of the course worked particularly well - a nice blend and balance of in-person and online sessions certainly helped keep work / life logistics more straightforward.

Claire Nix’s knowledge and expertise was second to none. Her delivery style and attention to detail really did make the content more engaging and enjoyable. I loved meeting and working with other careers leads in Herts - that was such an important aspect of the course I hadn’t necessarily appreciated would be so beneficial.

Yes, the workload on the accredited route has been heavy at times and does require commitment and grit from the outset. However, the sessions helped us think about, and prepare for certain assignments along the way, and it’s been most satisfying and reassuring to be the one receiving feedback for a change!"

Kirsten Davey, Careers Leader & Assistant Head, Townsend C of E School, St Albans - (Completed the accredited route) "I really enjoyed completing the assessed route of the Level 6 Career Leaders Certificate course. The whole experience was very positive. I learnt a huge amount, and it made me reflect on my own practice as well as gaining reassurance about many of the things which we are already doing as a school. The trainer made the 5 days of delivery interesting and good fun.

The being with other Hertfordshire careers leaders is that we were able to share similar experiences and also share resources and ideas with each other which were relevant to the setting of Hertfordshire schools. I have felt a great sense of achievement in being able to complete all of the assignments and have actually enjoyed writing them. The feedback given was thorough and very positive. I would definitely encourage other Career Leaders to participate in this course."

If you are a Careers Leader in Hertfordshire interested in the course for 2025-2026 please contact Caitlin Coogan who can provide you with more information or invite you to a drop-in to find out more:[email protected]