Postgraduate Certificate in Global Career Service Leadership
In partnership with the University of Huddersfield
The first postgraduate qualification born from our global community — the Summit, in a qualification.
The origin
In 2014, at a conference in the US, a conversation between two directors of Careers – one from the US, one from the UK – sparked a vision: an annual gathering of the world’s boldest university career services leaders, moving around the globe, challenging the status quo, thinking together, and driving the profession forward.
Twelve years on – from Leicester to Toronto, Newcastle to Washington, Belfast to Cape Town – the Global Career Services Summit is cemented as an annual fixture in the profession’s mind. This Postgraduate Certificate in Global Career Service Leadership is what happens when that energy becomes a credential.
Our Principles
Every voice is equal –career services leaders, employers and partners sit in the same room, the same conversation.
Challenge the status quo – the Summit exists to push the profession of Career Service Leadership forward, not preserve it as it is.
A truly global movement – hosted on a different continent each year, shaped by every context and culture.
Who the qualification is for
Built for leaders on the edge of their next chapter. If you’re up to two years into leading a career service – or you can already see your next leadership step 12–18 months out – this is your moment. It’s a bold next step, not a first one: this programme isn’t designed for those taking their very first move into management.
Why this qualification
Born from the Summit
Forged in the room where the profession’s boldest leaders gather, based on theory, built from live conversations.
A world-class academic partner
Delivered in partnership with the University of Huddersfield – a global leader in careers and employability education, giving every module real academic weight.
A globally recognised qualification
Led by Dr Kate Daubney PFHEA
Three modules. Eleven months. One transformation.
My Leadership Tools
January – May
Develop and sharpen your strategy, leadership and management capabilities.
Navigating Contexts
May – October
Read the room: your career service, your institution, the wider landscape and the partnerships that move it forward.
From Doing to Leading
January – October
Make the shift that matters most – from managing the work to leading the profession.
How you’ll study
Built around your job, not instead of it. Expect around 10 hours a week, predominantly self-directed and asynchronous, with live sessions woven in as you go – plus one unmissable day: the Cohort Learning Event, held alongside the annual European Global Career Services Summit each October (with a live online option if you can’t make it in person).
This isn’t reading-list learning. Action Learning Sets, experiential learning, structured reflection and real dialogue with peers and Summit partners – all built to link straight back to what you do on Monday morning.
Your faculty
Designed and led by Dr Kate Daubney PFHEA – academic, qualified lecturer, and former Career Service Leader at the University of Chester, King’s College London and The Careers Group. Alongside Kate, you’ll hear directly from Career Service Leaders across the global GCSS community throughout the programme.
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Start date18 January 2027 – one cohort admitted each year.
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Fee£2,740 payable to the University of Huddersfield – you’ll confirm who’s paying at registration and an invoice follows.
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SponsorshipOptions available for participants from specific target countries – ask us for details.
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To applyRegister your interest with GCSS below and we’ll send you the link to the Huddersfield application portal. You’ll submit a short statement (up to 300 words) on your role, why you’re applying, and where you want this to take you. Emerging Leaders will also need a short note from their line manager confirming they’re on track for their next step – get in touch if that’s not possible.