NCLC Banner

                                   The National Careers Leaders' Conference

Wednesday 18 June | Royal National Hotel, London
Booking will be available soon

The National Careers Leaders' Conference and Exhibition 2025 will take place on Wednesday 18 June and is jointly organised by the CDI and iCeGS at the University of Derby. This year, we have a change of venue and will hold the event at the Royal National Hotel in London.

Theme: Evolving careers programmes to meet new policy requirements and maximise outcomes for young people. 

Schools and colleges will have to evolve their careers programmes in light of announced and planned government policy changes, from the updated Gatsby benchmarks to new rules on work experience and more. Yet great careers provision goes beyond legislative requirements to help young people prepare for the increasingly dynamic world of work. 

The conference will look at the strategic and practical changes needed to ensure schools and colleges offer a whole-school approach to help every young person make an informed decision on their next step as well as develop the career management skills to navigate through their life. 

The conference is an opportunity for Careers Leaders, Careers Advisers, Hub Leads and Enterprise Coordinators to convene and learn about the latest developments in careers education and find out how they can enhance their careers programmes in primary, secondary and SEND schools, as well as colleges.

Further details and booking will be available soon. 

View the 2024 event programme | View event photos

Call for workshops

The CDI and iCeGS are now taking proposals for workshops for the 2025 conference. Please submit your proposal by filling out this form.

We will be selecting submissions which we feel best reflect the themes of the conference and will be of most benefit to attendees. Session topics can be broad or niche as the organisers will be looking to offer a range of content across the agenda. 

The deadline for submissions is Monday 17 March at 5 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Dr Hannah Blake, Senior Researcher, iCeGS.

Confirmed speakers will receive one free ticket (per organisation).

2025 Keynote speakers


We are delighted to announce our keynote speakers for this year:



Beth Jones, Head of Career Programmes, The Gatsby Foundation

Keynote: Looking beyond the benchmarks at the key themes from the Good Careers Guidance report
              David Andrews
David Andrews OBE, Independent education consultant, trainer, researcher and writer specialising in career education and guidance

Keynote: Reflections on a career in career education – what has changed, what can we learn and what still needs to be done

2025 Conference themes


Theme: Evolving careers programmes to meet new policy requirements and maximise outcomes for young people. 

Schools and colleges will have to evolve their careers programmes in light of announced and planned government policy changes, from the updated Gatsby benchmarks to new rules on work experience and more. Yet great careers provision goes beyond legislative requirements to help young people prepare for the increasingly dynamic world of work. 

The conference will look at the strategic and practical changes needed to ensure schools and colleges offer a whole-school approach to help every young person make an informed decision on their next step as well as develop the career management skills to navigate through their life. 

Sub-themes: 

  • The Good Career Guidance report highlighted a number of themes where careers programmes can add greater value for young people and those who support them. These themes will be explored during the conference in light of the government policy changes and the latest best practice from school leaders, Careers Leaders and Careers Advisers as well as experts in careers education. 
  • Careers at the heart of education and leadership – moving towards a strategic, whole-school approach. 
  • Inclusion and impact for each and every young person – focusing on pupils with SEND or facing disadvantage. 
  • Meaningful and varied encounters and experiences with the workplace- linked to the new work experience policy. 
  • Focusing on the use of information and data to enhance programmes, including monitoring, review and evaluation to enhance programmes. 
  • Effective engagement of parents and carers to maximise the impact of careers support. 
  • Embedding the Careers Adviser into the careers programme for a joined-up approach to careers education, information, advice and guidance. 
  • Through keynote talks, a panel discussion and a wide range of workshops, the conference will enable attendees to plan effective changes to their careers programmes to be ready for the changes due in September 2025 and beyond. 

Why attend NCLC?

The conference will help you set quality aspirations for your programme, learn how to overcome barriers to delivering high quality careers services using impact evidence, and engage you wider stakeholders so they become a supportive and meaningful part of your careers eco-system.

•    Gain insights from The Gatsby Foundation who will give a review of the Gatsby Benchmarks to help you anticipate any changes required to your careers programme

•    Gaining an understanding of different quality approaches from practitioners (matrix, Quality in careers Standard, Careers Impact System) to help you start building a roadmap to gain quality accreditation suitable to your organisation

•    Develop a greater understanding and best practice in creating careers programmes that go beyond next steps and develop career management skills so young people are prepared for working life and are able to overcome barriers in their career

•    Learn best practice on integrating work experience and personal career guidance sessions into a careers programme to offer greater value to young people

Audience

This year’s conference offers valuable learning for a wide range of careers providers for young people. From Careers Leaders and Career Advisers to Enterprise Co-ordinators and Careers Hub leads, the conference covers careers provision in primary and secondary schools, SEND schools, alternative provision, sixth forms, colleges and training providers.

Cost


National Careers Leaders' Conference

Member: £135

Non Member: £175

Student Rate: £80

Commercial opportunities

Explore sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities to amplify your brand and connect with professionals across the career development sector. Download the brochure for details on how to get involved.

To discuss these opportunities, please contact Jen Ellin (Events & Commercial Manager) at: [email protected]

Having any trouble?

Having any trouble?

Do not hesitate to reach out to us anytime.

01384 376464