Paul has continued to act as the national Quality in Careers Director and as a non-executive director & Company Secretary for Axia Digital.

The impact of Covid19 has seen his work almost completely move onto “Zoom” and “Teams” rather than travelling the country.

Paul has led the drive to promote the Quality in Careers Standard to England’s schools and colleges, including setting up two “virtual events” on the Quality in Careers website https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/virtual-event-registration/

The Department for Education “strongly recommends” that all secondary schools and colleges should work towards and achieve the Quality in Careers Standard in its statutory guidance https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/ceiag-the-law-statutory-duty-and-statutory-guidance/

The Quality in Careers Consortium receives “grant funding” from DfE for its core national team (led by Paul who devotes 50 days p.a. to this work courtesy of DfE’s funding) https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/2022/03/30/news-30th-march-2022-dfe-provides-the-quality-in-careers-consortium-with-further-grant-funding-for-2022-23/

Despite the impact of COVID19, Paul has continued to lead the national Quality in Careers Standard acting as its national Director accountable to the Quality in Careers Consortium Board.

Much of the work of the Consortium has been undertaken virtually (using ZOOM PRO). This has included Board meetings and the first ZOOM PRO “National Relicensing Panel” for one of the Licensed Awarding Bodies – resulting in future Panels in early 2021 becoming scheduled as ZOOM PRO virtual events.

In March 2020 Paul chaired and hosted three public events on the national Standard for schools and colleges (one in Newcastle upon Tyne, in Birmingham and in Bristol). COVID19 has put an end to plans for more public events in 2021, but with DfE funding continuing the Consortium is launching a Virtual Event in February 2021 which Paul and colleagues have been pre-recording at the latter end of 2020. https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/virtual-event-registration/

Paul’s work with Axia Digital continues to be a rewarding additional part of his portfolio career – he is delighted to play a small part in the increasing success of the Axia e-portfolio approach to recording CPD.

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October 2013: Paul was appointed as the Chairman of Governors at The Dales School, an outstanding Special School in North Yorkshire.

See www.thedalesschool.org