How UK careers leaders are redefining what their services can do

Careers services started as a support function. They are increasingly being asked to operate as a strategic one.

We asked four of our customers, senior careers leaders at LCCA, UWE Bristol, ARU, and UAL, to share how they are responding and what they think needs to change.

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Why download this paper

Four of our customers at LCCA, UWE Bristol, ARU and UAL share what they have learned from a period when careers services have been expected to reach more students and prove more impact than before.

Whether the subject is curriculum integration, data-led student support or the skills careers professionals now need, the contributors describe their own approaches in enough detail to be useful. Peer insight from people doing the same work.

Who we spoke to

Beyond compliance

"Many of our graduates don't follow linear paths. They often work on a contract basis or build portfolio careers. This is a perfectly successful outcome in creative industries, but it doesn't fit the typical profile of graduate employment." — Helen Curston, UAL

The engagement problem

"While students may claim that employment outcomes criteria were important to them when selecting their university, that doesn't necessarily translate to engagement with us when they enrol, or beyond." — Lloyd Williams, UWE Bristol

Data, AI, and human expertise

"The idea is not to replace human interaction but to use AI as a first step, followed by professional input." — Amy Carpenter, ARU

The evolving careers team

"Service leads need to be at the top table when it comes to strategic decisions." — Nadim Choudhury, LCCA

The team behind this paper

Access Careers Centre published this paper as part of our work with careers services across UK higher education. We build career development tools for universities and FE colleges, covering initial self-assessment through to CV checking and job applications.

The questions raised by the contributors here are ones we hear from careers teams every day. This paper is our attempt to put those conversations on record.

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How UK careers leaders are redefining their services

Careers services started as a support function. They are increasingly being asked to operate as a strategic one. We asked four of our customers, senior careers leaders at LCCA, UWE Bristol, ARU, and UAL, to share how they are responding and what they think needs to change.

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