General careers advice

National Development Organisation for literacy and numeracy in England and Wales.

Commonwealth House
1-19 New Oxford Street
London WC1A 1NU
Phone: 020 7405 4017
Fax: 020 7440 6620
enquiries@basic-skills.co.uk
www.basic-skills.co.uk

Details of the British education system, courses, facilities, a searchable database of postgraduate courses and much more.

We can give advice and information about all our projects and activities over the phone, email and post from the British Council Information Centre.

British Council Information Centre
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester
M1 6BB
Phone: 0161 957 7755
Fax: 0161 957 7762
education.enquiries@britishcouncil.org
www.educationuk.org

CreativePeople is a national network of ten consortia dedicated to providing advice and guidance to support the professional development of people working in arts and craft industries. The aim of each consortium is to help those working in the arts and craft industries take a more planned approach to their own professional development, helping them to identify the most useful professional development activities, to prioritise and to implement them.

The CreativePeople network offers a wealth of information on resources and events: workshops, conferences, courses, mentoring schemes, critical appraisal services and online toolkits. It also contains news about job opportunities and commissions. The arts connect search enables you to look for such information on the individual websites of its many partners.

Sign up to receive the CreativePeople network bulletin a regular briefing on the CreativePeople network. http://www.creativepeople.org.uk/register/ebulletins.php

www.creativepeople.org.uk

The Department for Education and Skills was established with the purpose of creating opportunity, releasing potential and achieving excellence for all.

Specific information or advice is available on the DfES portal websites. These sites bring together a wide range of education and skills information that is specific to different people's needs.

Department for Education and Skills,
Sanctuary Buildings,
Great Smith Street,
London SW1P 3BT
Phone: 0870 000 2288
Fax: 01928 794 248
Minicom: 01928 794 274
Textphone: 01928 794 274
info@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
http://www.dfes.gov.uk

EGAS operates a student advice line on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2 pm to 4 pm. Experienced student advisers are available to answer questions on statutory and non-statutory funding sources, and to advise on the progress of written funding enquiries.

EGAS operates nationally providing comprehensive advice and information on sources of funding available for education and training after the age of 16, including loans, grants, benefits, access funds, hardship funds, bursaries and charitable trusts.

501-505 Kingsland Road,
London E8 4AU
Phone: 020 7254 6251 (helpline)
www.egas-online.org

Offers career advice for graduates. Index of postgraduate study opportunities, graduate employers and general careers advice/links.

Prospect House
Booth Street East
Manchester M13 9EP
Phone: 0161 277 5200
Fax: 0161 277 5210
www.prospects.ac.uk

HERO is the official gateway to UK universities, colleges and research organisations.

HERO provides information, a database of links, to all aspects of higher education across six sections packed with information, advice and essential contacts.

www.hero.ac.uk

The jobs and skills search is a service provided by Jobcentre Plus, available through the Directgov website.

The jobs and skills search provides searches for jobs, training courses, career information, voluntary work and childcare providers. Information is provided by Jobcentre Plus and its partners as follows:

Around 400,000 jobs are available from Jobcentre Plus.
Around 900,000 training courses are available from learndirect.
Around 800 descriptions of careers are provided by Connexions.
Information on childcare providers are provided by ChildcareLink
Information on voluntary work opportunities are provided by do-it (part of YouthNet UK).

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk

An extensive database of learning opportunities.

PO Box 900
Manchester M60 3LE
Phone: 0800 100 900
enquiries@learndirect.net
www.learndirect.co.uk

The LSC is responsible for planning and funding high quality education and training for everyone in England other than those in universities.
We have a single goal: to improve the skills of England's young people and adults to world class standards. Our vision is that young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce.
We work nationally, regionally and locally to deliver this ambition on behalf of learners and employers

If you have any queries or questions for the LSC, please contact us:

Email: info@lsc.gov.uk
Telephone: 0870 900 6800


London Office:
8-10 Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1W 0DH
0845 019 4144

Cheylesmore House,
Quinton Road,
Coventry CV1 2WT
Phone: 0845 019 4170
Fax: 024 7649 3600
info@lsc.gov.uk
www.lsc.gov.uk

Undertakes research and development activities and provides information services to improve education and training.

The Mere,
Upton Park,
Slough,
Berkshire SL1 2DQ
Phone: 01753 574 123
Fax: 01753 691 632
enquiries@nfer.ac.uk
www.nfer.ac.uk

NUS is one of the largest student organisations in the world and represents the interests of around five million students in further and higher education throughout the United Kingdom, providing research, representation, training and expert advice for individual students and students' unions.

Second Floor, Centro Three,
19 Mandela Street,
London, NW1 0DU
Phone: 0207 3806 600
Fax: 0871 221 8222
nusuk@nus.org.uk
www.nusonline.co.uk

literaturetraining has developed a self-assessment professional development planning guide to help writers explore where they want to get to professionally in a structured way.

For further information and to download a copy of 'Getting to where you want to be, a DIY guide to professional development planning for writers and literature professionals' by Jude Page (literaturetraining, 2007), visit the literaturetraining website:

http://www.literaturetraining.com/metadot/index.pl?id=36784&isa=Category&op=show

The Cultural Enterprise Office (CEO) in Scotland has developed its 'Do-It-Yourself Professional Planning Toolkit' based on Jude Page's original model for literaturetraining. Visit the CEO's website to access this professional development planning tool for those working in the creative and cultural industries:

http://culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk/website/search_all.asp?article_type=Factsheet&UP=TYPE_F&search_box=Professional%20Development%20Planning&main_activity=&spec_activity=&main_artform=&spec_artform=&NAV_SELECTED=&type=events&item=8344#8344

A student website offering information and advice on student matters, ranging from housing to finance.

www.studentuk.com

The Teacher Training Agency's purpose is to raise standards in schools by attracting able and committed people to teaching and by improving the quality of teacher training in England.

Portland House,
Stag Place,
London SW1E 5TT
Phone: 0845 6000 991
teaching@ttainfo.co.uk
www.teach.gov.uk

The Careers Group, University of London provides products and services designed to help individuals achieve and maintain job satisfaction throughout their working lives.

Key customers are academic institutions wanting to deliver careers services to their students, staff and graduates; organisations looking for help with career development activities; careers service providers seeking support; graduate recruiters wishing to meet students and graduates at any stage in their working lives; and individual job seekers or career changers.

The Careers Group maintains a reference library containing information from educational trusts and foundations that may offer assistance to students, endowed scholarships and details and guidance on all grants available from Local Education Authorities.

The Careers Group, University of London, Stewart House, 32 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DN
www.careers.lon.ac.uk

The Workers' Educational Association (WEA) is the UK's largest voluntary provider of adult education. Ever since it was founded in 1903, in order to support the educational needs of working men and women, the WEA has maintained its commitment to provide access to education and learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education.

The WEA is one of the UK's biggest charities, and operates at local, regional and national levels. Nine Regions in England, a Scottish Association and over 650 local Branches make up the WEA’s National Association.

Through these local and regional centres, today's WEA now runs over 10,000 courses each year, providing learning for more than 110,000 adults of all ages and drawn from all walks of life.

Courses are created and delivered in response to local need, often in partnership with local community groups and organisations.

The WEA believes that education is lifelong and should continue beyond school, college and university in order to help people develop their potential in a democratic society.

Workers’ Educational Association
Third Floor
70 Clifton St
London
EC2A 4HB
Phone: 020 7426 3483
Fax: 020 7426 3451
sparnell@wea.org.uk
www.wea.org.uk