Carlton le Willows Academy has officially been accredited with the Quality in Careers Standard (QiCS), a prestigious national award that recognises a school’s commitment to delivering high-quality, comprehensive careers education. The recent update to statutory guidance has placed increased emphasis on the importance of the QiCS, further highlighting its value in showcasing a robust and effective careers programme that meets the needs of every student.
Background
Progress Careers has proudly supported the Delta Academies Trust with their careers provision for several years, offering expert advice, hands-on delivery, and strategic support across multiple schools. Carlton le Willows joined the Trust in September 2023, midway through their QiCS journey. Before this, they had already been working with Progress Careers to develop their careers provision. Upon joining the Trust, this support was accelerated and expanded. While the transition brought some understandable delays, it also created an exciting opportunity to strengthen and elevate the school’s approach to careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG).
Having already been working with Carlton le Willows prior to their move to the Delta family, Progress Careers was well-placed to accelerate their path to success. Building on this established partnership, they brought their tried-and-tested expertise, tailored frameworks, and dedicated advisers to further support the school in achieving their vision for careers education.
The Partnership
From the beginning of Carlton Le Willows careers journey, Progress Careers provided consistent, tailored support designed to meet the unique needs of the school and its students. Working closely with Careers Lead, Liam Scott, the Progress Careers team took a collaborative and proactive approach to realign the school’s careers strategy and ensure it fully met the QiCS framework.
Liam shared his experience working alongside the team:
“Throughout this process, I’ve had lots of guidance and support from several people at Progress Careers, who have always gone above and beyond for us here at Carlton le Willows.”
This success was not down to one individual, but the collective effort of a dedicated team. From strategic planning to delivery on the ground, Progress Careers supported the school through every phase of the journey.
Liam began the QiCS process with Sean and Rebecca, who shared the role of careers adviser for Carlton Le Willows. They played a crucial role in demystifying the QiCS framework and helping the team at Carlton le Willows understand how to use it as a tool for development and evaluation.
“Sean was a huge help in familiarising me with the online platform from the beginning,” Liam said.
He continued, “Rebecca was our (in-school) Adviser throughout the first year or so of the process. I regularly sought advice and guidance from her during her guidance sessions at school. I would often run ideas past Rebecca prior to implementation – her input was incredibly helpful.”
Sean and Rebecca were both promoted within Progress Careers, passing on the baton to Josh, who supported Carlton Le Willows through the rest of their journey and continued to provide a high level of support and guidance to students and staff alike. Josh’s professionalism and dedication played an important role in the final push towards achieving the award. Liam commented:
“Josh, our current Adviser, does a fantastic job supporting our students. This award wouldn’t have been possible without the high-quality guidance we were able to evidence in our portfolio. Josh also did a great job of sharing his experience and practice with Carol during the final assessment.”
The Outcome
Thanks to the wraparound support from Progress Careers, the strategic insight of the Delta Academies Trust, and the commitment of the team at Carlton le Willows, the school was able to achieve the Quality in Careers Standard with confidence. The process not only affirmed the value of their current provision but also highlighted areas of strength and opportunity for continued development.
The QiCS is a nationally respected benchmark for CEIAG excellence, and achieving it speaks volumes about the school’s dedication to preparing students for their futures. Carlton le Willows now stands among a growing number of schools taking meaningful steps to ensure their students receive personalised, impartial, and high-impact careers support.
Conclusion
With the QiCS now proudly secured, Carlton le Willows is already looking to the future. The school is now exploring ways to further refine their careers provision, embedding employer engagement, personal guidance, and curriculum links even deeper into school life. With Progress Careers still by their side, there’s no doubt that Carlton le Willows will continue to raise the bar for careers education across the region. The team is energised by their success and ready to keep building on this momentum.
Next stop… Gold!
