The work of the careers master

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to outline the skills and responsibilities of a careers master in the late 1950s. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Schools were becoming more businesslike, and training was becoming more specialised and developed. Schools needed to have an "Officer of Information" or a "Careers Master" in order to make sure that students had the appropriate qualifications in order to follow a career path with a particular firm. The author suggests that schools needed to do more for the students than simply provide an encyclopaedia of different occupations. This paper lists the practical steps a careers master needed to take, in terms of useful literature, notices and advertisements and also in terms of giving vocational guidance to students. Findings ‐ This article outlines the main responsibilities of a careers master and details some of the methods he/she should be able to use. Originality/value ‐ This paper suggests ways in which the role of a careers master in schools can aid students to gain the appropriate qualifications and to gain further information regarding potential future careers.