06 February 2025
UK Career Development Awards 2025: Celebrating the Visionaries Shaping Britain's Workforce
UK Career Development Awards: Celebrating the Visionaries Shaping Britain's Workforce
Stourbridge, – February 06, 2025 – Now is the time for career development professionals to be recognised and valued for their vital role in shaping futures, driving social mobility, and contributing to economic growth. This is the key message from David Morgan, Chief Executive of the Career Development Institute (CDI), as he opened nominations for the UK Career Development Awards – which this year forms part of the organisation’s UK-wide #ValuingCareers campaign.
“Career development professionals have an unparalleled opportunity to transform lives—whether by guiding young people in schools and colleges or supporting adults through public services, third sector organisations, employers and private consultations. Their work not only impacts individuals but also strengthens society and fuels the economy, making them essential architects of a brighter future for all. These awards are our way of saying 'thank you' to those who dedicate their lives to helping others find their path," explained Mr Morgan.
#ValuingCareers: More Than Just an Award
The UK Career Development Awards 2025 are part of the #ValuingCareers campaign, a nationwide initiative aimed at highlighting the crucial role of career development professionals in shaping Britain's future workforce. This campaign comes at a time when the job market is evolving rapidly, emphasising the need for expert advice on navigating career paths and lifelong career guidance.
“Careers professionals are often under-valued, which is why the annual CDI awards are so important. Our #ValuingCareers research has shown that only half of UK adults (54%) feel positive about their future career prospects, and it also demonstrated a clear link between career positivity and feeling positive about life. Although 75% of adults have career aspirations a staggering 80% anticipate barriers to achieving them – all of which means that the work of career development professionals is more important than ever – not only does it help individuals align their passion and purpose with their career, but it also helps bridge skills gaps and support the economy,” said Mr Morgan.
This year’s awards theme is the Carnival of Careers and features eight diverse categories that reflect the broad spectrum of influence that career development professionals have across various sectors of society, and include:
Nominations are now open for career development professionals and can be submitted until Monday March 3 at 11:59 PM, and you can nominate yourself or someone else who you believe deserves recognition.
Honouring careers innovators and change-makers
Last year’s winners embodied the transformative power of career development professionals, delivering impactful and innovative solutions that made headlines across the sector:
For more details on the awards and how to participate, please visit the CDI Awards page. For more information on the #ValuingCareers campaign and the research among 5,004 UK adults, visit Valuing Careers - Career Development Institute. If you are interested in speaking with a qualified careers professional, further information can be found at How a careers professional can help you - Career Development Institute
Stourbridge, – February 06, 2025 – Now is the time for career development professionals to be recognised and valued for their vital role in shaping futures, driving social mobility, and contributing to economic growth. This is the key message from David Morgan, Chief Executive of the Career Development Institute (CDI), as he opened nominations for the UK Career Development Awards – which this year forms part of the organisation’s UK-wide #ValuingCareers campaign.
“Career development professionals have an unparalleled opportunity to transform lives—whether by guiding young people in schools and colleges or supporting adults through public services, third sector organisations, employers and private consultations. Their work not only impacts individuals but also strengthens society and fuels the economy, making them essential architects of a brighter future for all. These awards are our way of saying 'thank you' to those who dedicate their lives to helping others find their path," explained Mr Morgan.
#ValuingCareers: More Than Just an Award
The UK Career Development Awards 2025 are part of the #ValuingCareers campaign, a nationwide initiative aimed at highlighting the crucial role of career development professionals in shaping Britain's future workforce. This campaign comes at a time when the job market is evolving rapidly, emphasising the need for expert advice on navigating career paths and lifelong career guidance.
“Careers professionals are often under-valued, which is why the annual CDI awards are so important. Our #ValuingCareers research has shown that only half of UK adults (54%) feel positive about their future career prospects, and it also demonstrated a clear link between career positivity and feeling positive about life. Although 75% of adults have career aspirations a staggering 80% anticipate barriers to achieving them – all of which means that the work of career development professionals is more important than ever – not only does it help individuals align their passion and purpose with their career, but it also helps bridge skills gaps and support the economy,” said Mr Morgan.
This year’s awards theme is the Carnival of Careers and features eight diverse categories that reflect the broad spectrum of influence that career development professionals have across various sectors of society, and include:
- Careers Programme in Education and Non-Education Settings
- Outstanding Career Development Professionals in Education and Non-Education Settings
- Careers Provider of the Year
- Innovative Product, Resource or Technology
- Contribution to the Development of the Profession.
Nominations are now open for career development professionals and can be submitted until Monday March 3 at 11:59 PM, and you can nominate yourself or someone else who you believe deserves recognition.
Honouring careers innovators and change-makers
Last year’s winners embodied the transformative power of career development professionals, delivering impactful and innovative solutions that made headlines across the sector:
- Annmarie Wills, from Careers Wales, took home Public Sector Career Development Professional of the Year for her groundbreaking work in Swansea, helping individuals overcome significant barriers to employment and education.
- Rebecca Auterson, who won the Careers Programme Award, inspired students at Nottingham High School through her STEAM club, an initiative that combined science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to spark curiosity and career aspirations.
- Deirdre Hughes OBE, CareerChat UK, revolutionised career guidance - winning the Technology in Career Development Award with AI-powered chatbot, CiCi, which provides 24/7 multilingual support to over 69,000 users, including vulnerable groups.
- Recruitment giant Hays clinched the Innovative Employer Award for its forward-thinking strategies to bridge skills gaps and create new career opportunities.
For more details on the awards and how to participate, please visit the CDI Awards page. For more information on the #ValuingCareers campaign and the research among 5,004 UK adults, visit Valuing Careers - Career Development Institute. If you are interested in speaking with a qualified careers professional, further information can be found at How a careers professional can help you - Career Development Institute
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