It is recommended that every middle and secondary school appoint a Careers Link Governor—a strategic role focused on championing employer engagement and supporting the development of high-quality careers provision.
Although not defined in legislation, the term "link governor" is widely used to describe a governor who takes a dedicated interest in a specific area of school life.
In this case, Careers Link Governors play a vital role in ensuring their school or college:
- Meets statutory duties for careers
- Identifies a qualified Careers Leader
- Ensures complance with provider access legislation and offering impartial guidance to students.
Careers Link Governors also support progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks, helping Careers Leaders monitor and embed good practice across the school. Regular collaboration between the Link Governor, Careers Leader, Enterprise Coordinator, and Employer partners is considered best practice—ensuring a joined-up approach to delivering impactful careers education across the whole school.
The role of a careers link governor
Supporting young people to make informed choices about their future is an important responsibility for schools and their governing boards. Governing boards must appoint a governor or trustee to take leadership responsibility for their school/trust careers education and guidance.
Supporting careers education - governor handbook
Governing bodies have a key role in ensuring schools not only meet their legal requirements, but also equipping their pupils with the tools and knowledge to make informed choices about their futures.
Useful resources for governors
Governors for Schools have brought together a number of tools and resources to support governors from being an effective governor to top tips on Ofsted inspection framework. We've compiled some resources to help you in your role.