London South Bank Careers , careers advisers

The aims of London South Bank Careers (LSBC) were 'to increase the number of young people making successful transition to education, training and employment' by 'exploiting career opportunities offered by the regeneration of the South Bank area'. The service provided careers advice for an area with some of the greatest social and economic deprivation in the country. In 1997 the local unemployment rate was 50,000 people, accounting for 20% of unemployment in Greater London.

The service began as part of the Careers Service operated in all London boroughs by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA). The Central Services at 9 Carmelite Street managed Careers Services in ten ILEA divisional areas which were run by Divisional Officers. In April 1990, the ILEA was abolished and Local Education Authorities took over the responsibility of running the Careers Services. In May 1991 the Government released a White Paper "Education and Training in the 21st Century" which proposed legislation for putting Careers Services out to tender.

In 1992 a voluntary partnership named the South Thames Careers Service Partnership was developed between the South Thames Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) and the four borough services, Southwark, Greenwich, Lewisham and Lambeth. Its aim was to increase local employer organisations' involvement in how the career services were to run. In July 1993, the Trade Union and Employment Rights Act was passed, opening up a market in careers guidance by transferring the statutory duty to provide careers services from education authorities to the Secretary of State for Employment, who would be able to make arrangements with any agent to provide services in a specific area. The London area was put out for tender in 1994, and bids were submitted for April 1995 for the commencement of new services in April 1996.

In 1995, the Education Committees of the four boroughs and the Board of the South Thames TEC agreed to turn the voluntary partnership set up between them into a formal arrangement called South Thames Careers Limited which would provide a legal vehicle for them to run a bid to run services in south services in 'Area 5' south London. The LSBC was formed in 1996 as a result of the outsourcing of the careers services for the four boroughs. The in-house bid, made by the four local authorities and large local businesses including the Woolwich Building Society and Sainsburys, and supported by the Central London Training and Enterprise Council (CENTEC) and the South London Training and Enterprise Council (SOLOTEC), was not the first choice and it was only when the appointed supplier, Grand Met Trust, pulled out that the in-house team were awarded a four and a half year contract with the Government Office for London (GOL) and under annual contract with the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) from 1 October 1996. As a result the initial operation began quickly without a lengthy planning period. The first 18 months saw the relocation and refurbishment of premises:

• Head Quarters: moved from Sumner House, Peckham, to Third Floor, Romer House, 132 Lewisham High Street, Lewisham, above the Lewisham Centre.

  • Greenwich Careers Centre: moved from Riverside House, Borough Education Department to high street accommodation above Somerfields supermarket, Woolwich.
  • Lambeth Careers Centre: remained at Acre Lane, Brixton as part of the Lambeth Directions 'one-stop-shop' established as part of the Brixton College initiatives.
  • Lewisham Careers Centre: moved from 39 Lewis Grove to Romer House, 132 Lewisham High Street, Lewisham.
  • Southwark Careers Centre: moved from Sumner House, Peckham to old job centre shop front premises in Rye Lane, Peckham.

  The service was an independent 'not for profit' company with a Board of Directors consisting of four local authority representatives from Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, two representatives of the Training and Enterprise Councils, and four employer representatives. The Board chair was the executive of the Woolwich Building Society. An Advisory Network was formed representing stakeholders and community interests to inform the work of the Board.

  The company was one of nine Careers Services Companies (CSCs) operating in London from 1996, selected via the competitive tendering process. The senior organisational structure consisted ofthe Chief Executive, and then three Executive Directors for Operations (Education and Customer Services), Corporate Services (Human Resources and Finance), and Development (Communications). In 1998 there were 101 staff.

  In addition to the running of four careers centres, the service ran outreach support in other organisations' premises and local hostels. The company offered the following: free consultancy services to local schools and colleges which included individual careers guidance interviews, group sessions and support for careers education; advice and guidance for adults; community advocacy; mailshots and publicity; publications; training for teachers and lecturers; special events and programmes for young people; and work experience. The LSBC received funding from Europe, Single Regeneration Budget, New Deal, Learning Partnerships and Learning and Skills Councils and worked in close partnership with statutory and voluntary organisations.

  In July 2001, LSBC merged with Prospects Career Services Limited and became part of the Prospects Group, which at the time ran Careers Services in Bexley and Wandsworth and was closely involved in the developing Phase One Connexions Services in the West Midlands (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton) and North and South London (Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, and Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Sutton). LSBC carried on delivering the Careers Service contract in its four boroughs until the end of March 2002, when Connexions was introduced to the London area.