Council-owned career advice company to close

Existing CSW staff will be moved "in house" or another provider will take them on, according to Cornwall Council

A careers advice company, owned and run by four councils in the south-west of England, is to close next year.

CSW Group is owned by Cornwall Council, Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, and Torbay Council.

It provides career guidance and support to young people and employers but now the joint decision has been made to shut down the business by June 2025.

The local authorities are now looking at either bringing CSW staff "in house" or commissioning another provider.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said CSW, which employs 120 people, had a budget of just under £7m for 2023/24.

The council said the authorities had "reluctantly concluded that its funding and operational position has changed such that the company is no longer viable".

In a statement, the council said: "As such, the cabinets of each authority have agreed that a new approach must be taken that ensures there is minimal impact on the young people who use the education and employment support services provided by CSW."

It continued: "Whilst clearly a difficult moment of change for staff, owners and customers, the four local authorities believe that now is the right time to make this change if the expertise and high-quality service that has benefitted the peninsula for the past 30 years is to be preserved.

"Owners and management will be seeking to work closely in support of wider staff members and customers who are not to be part of the transfer process, helping them to find new opportunities within the peninsula where appropriate."

The spokesperson concluded by stating the four authorities remained "committed to ensuring young people receive the highest level of support around career choices".