In 2022/23 our charity's work positively impacted 82,784 people (up 15,492 on 2021/22). 

At Career Connect, we: 

  • are passionate about people-centred support and evidence-based practice to achieve the best outcomes for those we work with.
  • understand that learning, skills development and careers planning is life-long. We work in schools, for local authorities, in the community, and in the criminal justice sector, working closely with commissioners and partners to deliver best value. We also train careers leaders and advice and guidance specialists in schools, colleges, professional, community, and charity settings, and provide redundancy support to businesses.
  • place inclusivity at the centre of what we do. We are proud to be one of the top 10 National Centre for Diversity’s most inclusive workplaces for 2023, a Living Wage employer, an Investor in Diversity, a Disability Confident Leader and a member of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter. We are also signed up to the Liverpool City Region Mayor’s Fair Employment Charter.
  • understand that User Voice is vital to what we do, and that it is key in helping to remove barriers. We shape our work in response to feedback from participants. We use the Lundy Model to promote meaningful and impactful feedback. We recruited our first group of Youth Ambassadors in 2022, and we are continuing to build on this. We also have in place a Youth Agreement. 
  • aim to be a voice for the people we work with, using evidence to influence and shape services locally and nationally. We produce regular research reports, and make evidence-based recommendations to national and local governments and the careers sector as a whole. We regularly contribute to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Youth Employment and respond to national announcements.
  • are passionate about learning and best practice. Our CEO Sheila Clark, (also Vice Chair of Careers England), is part of an international knowledge exchange with Spain’s largest co-operative, Suara.
  • believe in delivering wider social value and are committed to sustainability. We are working with Positive Planet with the aim of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2035.

Career Connect was established in 2001 as part of the Connexions network and became a charity in 2011.

 

Delivering additional social value

In 2022/23 were were proud to deliver an additional social value of £8.8million.

A graphic that says: "In 2022/23 we have generated an additional £8.8m of social value.

Social value encompasses the broader positive impact organisations create in the communities in which they operate – beyond what they are paid to deliver.

Using the industry-standard TOMs (Themes, Outcomes, and Measures) calculator, the social value that we produce has come through:

  • Promoting local skills and employment through the creation of apprenticeships, training opportunities and providing a Real Living Wage to our staff
  • Supporting responsible regional business growth through our support for mental health and wellbeing initiatives, equality and diversity, both for Career Connect and our local supply chains
  • Cultivating healthier, safer, and more resilient communities; and through our Beneficiary Fund
  • Decarbonising and safeguarding our environment through a range of initiatives to reduce our environmental impact.

 

Audit & Risk Committee

Our Board of Trustees meets quarterly, in addition to Board Sub-committees, including the Audit & Risk Committee of the Board.

The terms of reference for the Audit & Risk Committee can be viewed by clicking the button below.

Download Audit & Risk Committee Terms of Reference

Our Patron

Career Connect team member.

Mike Storey
Patron

Trustees

Career Connect team member.

Lorraine Dodd
Chair of the Board

Career Connect team member.

Dr Lauren Ballaera
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Eloise Boye
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Steven Leach
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Nina Ma
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Tom McBride
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Moriah Nell
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Lennina Ofori
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Katie Pettifer
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Andy Rannard
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Sue Smith
Trustee

Career Connect team member.

Elaine Sweeney
Trustee

Senior Leadership

Sheila Clark, CEO

Sheila Clark
CEO

Career Connect team member.

Karen Parry
Chief Operations Officer

Career Connect team member.

Simon Bean
Director of Business Development & Fundraising

Career Connect team member.

Chris Bennett
Managing Director, Achieve

Dan Birtles, Director of IT & Digital

Dan Birtles
Director of IT & Digital

Career Connect team member.

Gemma Grady
Commercial Director

Career Connect team member.

Gill Holywell
Director of Finance

Career Connect team member.

Danielle Kneale
Director of HR

Career Connect team member.

Gary Mundy
Director of Research & Evaluation

Career Connect team member.

Diane Sproson
Director of Operations

Youth Ambassadors

Ash

Ash
Wirral

Jamie-Leigh

Jamie-Leigh
Bootle

Emaan

Emaan
Manchester

India

India
Bootle

Jane

Jane
Liverpool

Ruben

Ruben
Manchester

Josh

Josh
Liverpool

Sophia

Sophia
Manchester

Tate

Tate
Prescot

Jess

Jess
Liverpool

Favour

Favour
Manchester

Elsie

Elsie
Wirral