Qualifications and professionalism in career development

Career development is a professional activity which requires up to date knowledge of the education system and the labour market, a range of counselling, coaching, pedagogic skills and theoretical knowledge to work effectively with individuals and groups. Qualifications are an important guarantor of the quality of the professionals who are charged with supporting people to make career decisions and build their careers. It is also important that career development professionals have access to CPD and a requirement to ensure that their knowledge and skills remain current. This report will explore these issues of professionalism with a particular focus on the training and qualifications system that exists for the career development profession.

The existing training and qualifications system for careers professionals has developed over several decades and has been particularly challenged by the last 25 years of policy change and innovation. We believe that now is a good time to take stock of the system and to consider whether it needs reform. This research sets out the findings of a project which took place in 2024 which included 22 stakeholder interviews, a survey of 644 careers professionals, employers, training providers and wider stakeholders and roundtable discussions with 25 further participants to explore how the field should develop. The report ends with a series of recommendations setting out the way forward for the field.