• Home
• About Us
• Researchers
• Features
• FAQ
• Archivists

Reference: GB 2781 COGS
Title: College of Guidance Studies
Dates of creation: 1948-2000
Held at: Canterbury Christ Church University College
Extent: 6 large boxes Foolscap and A4 white and coloured paper from typewriters, photocopiers and computer printers.
Name of Creator: College of Guidance Studies
Level of Description: fonds
Language of Material: eng

---

The College of Guidance Studies (COGS) was a training college for careers officers. It was the oldest and largest provider of the professional qualification for careers guidance practitioners. It accounted for roughly 20 per cent of the market share.

In the mid-1940s the need for proper training for careers officers was recognised. Then, careers officers were known as youth employment officers. In 1948 the Principal Careers Officer persuaded Kent County Council to set up a training centre at Lamorbey Park in Sidcup. This centre was known as the Kent Training College for the Youth Employment Service. It later became known as the Kent College for the Careers Service and finally in 1993 as the College of Guidance Studies. Although it was originally based in Sidcup, in 1967 it moved to the former horticultural college at Hextable where it remained until the year 2000.

In 1974 the Careers Service run by the Employment Department and the youth employment services run by local authorities came together to form a single Careers Service run through the local authority.

The professional qualification offered at this time was the Diploma in Careers Guidance. It was offered full-time from 1974 and part time from 1989. From 1985 the College wished to develop new services in order to become known as a centre of excellence. It continued to offer the Diploma in Careers Guidance (known as the DCG) but in addition offered continuing professional development courses with NVQs and BTECs. It also undertook research both commissioned and self-directed and tried to expand overseas.

In 1993 the College's legal set-up changed considerably. The College chose to opt out of local authority control. This came as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. It became an incorporated body with charitable status funded directly from central government via the Higher Education Funding Council for England. At the same time it changed its name to COGS. The corporation was an exempt charity. It was a charity by virtue of its status as a higher education institution and had an Instrument and Articles of government to dictate its legal set-up.

The corporation was run by a board of governors consisting of seven independent members, the Principal, a member of staff, a student and three co-opted members. There was also a Clerk to the Board of Governors who took minutes and attended to business matters. The other directors of the College usually attended meetings, which were held four times a year. There were three main sub-committees who answered to the governors. These were the audit sub-committee, the finance sub-committee and the personnel sub-committee. Other sub-committees were established when needed.

From 1998 onwards the college governors decided to seek a merger partner. By 1999 it had selected Canterbury Christ Church University College. In August 2000 COGS had officially merged with Canterbury Christ Church University College. The College's work in training careers officers therefore continues but is now part of a new department known as the Centre for Career and Personal Development, which is within the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University College.

The records mainly consist of Governors' Papers and papers of the various sub-committees. The majority of these papers are meeting papers which comprise minutes, agendas and reports to the committees, which are treated as appendices to the minutes. There are also many papers connected with COGS' merger with Canterbury Christ Church University College. There are very few papers remaining from the Principal. Only one file has survived and this is very similar to the Governors' papers. There is one Unofficial file, which is a collection of items of historical interest about the College. The majority of the papers date from 1970 to 2000.

System of Arrangement

The papers are arranged into three sub-groups namely Governors' Papers, the Principal's Papers and Unofficial Papers. The various sub-committees answered to the governors and their papers appear as a subsection of the governors.

Custodial History

On merging with Canterbury Christ Church University College the Governors' Papers were selected for permanent preservation. They were sent to the care of the College Secretary of Canterbury Christ Church University College. Student records were retained by the new Centre for Career and Personal Development.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired from the College Secretary of Canterbury Christ Church University College by internal transfer, 2002

Accruals

Further accruals are possible

Access Conditions

To view this collection please apply in writing to the Director of Library Services, Dr Angela Conyers, Canterbury Christ Church University College, North Holmes Rd, Canterbury, Kent. CT1 1QU

Email a.d.conyers@cant.ac.uk

Telephone 01227 782 232

Copyright/Reproduction

Reproduction of these documents is at the discretion of the Director of Library Services and is subject to Copyright.

Finding Aids

A rough hard-copy catalogue exists.

Related Units of Description

See also the records of Canterbury Christ Church University College.

Reference: GB 2781 COGS/G

Dates of creation: 1970-2000
Extent: 5 large boxes

---

The Board of Governors was responsible for the general and financial direction of the College. It provided the link between institutions outside the College such as the Local Education Authority and local industry etc and between bodies within the College. All the committees, the directors, the Principal and the student union reported to the governors.

The College Articles of Government allowed the Governors to delegate their functions to established committees. These were mainly the finance sub-committee, the academic committee, the discipline committee, the curriculum sub-committee, the audit sub-committee, the personnel sub-committee and the search committee. Other sub-committees were established as and when they were needed. For example the search committee was established when a vacancy arose on the Board of Governors. Two other temporary sub-committees were the Governors' Sub-group and the Merger Sub-group. The terms committee and sub-committee are used interchangeably within the documents.

The main records of the Governors are the meeting papers which comprise minutes, agendas and reports. There are also files of correspondence both to the Governors themselves and to the Clerk of the Governors, which are mainly to and from Kent County Council and the Education Department. There is a general file, an expenses file and governance files. The governance files contain copies of the Instruments and Articles of Government, annual reports and reports on how the college was to be run. Finally there are files of merger papers, which cover the period where they were seeking a merger partner, assessing their best options and finally selecting Canterbury Christ Church University College.

While the minutes and reports of some of the individual sub-committees exist separately the records of the rest of the sub-committees can be found only as reports to the Governors. This affects the curriculum sub-committee, the academic board, the search committee and the discipline sub-committee. The academic board minutes contain reports from the library, the bursar and the administration.

---

Reference: GB 2781 COGS/P

Dates of creation: 1985-1989
Extent: 1 box file

---

The college Principal was also the Chief Executive. S/He was responsible for the Director of Academic Affairs who managed courses, the library and research, the Director of Finance who controlled finance, central services and estates, and the Director of Business Developments.

S/He managed teaching staff and support staff appointments, duties, grading, remuneration and suspension. S/He was also responsible for general college management and could undertake urgent action that would otherwise have fallen to the Governors as long as the action was reported to the Governors at the earliest opportunity.

In 1985 the governing body appointed Alaine Sommerville as Principal and her remit was to develop new products and services.

Only one file has been retained. This is Alaine Sommerville's personal file containing copies of governors' papers, such as Articles of Government, chairman's notes, various minutes and general correspondence.

Custodial History

The files of the office of Principal were destroyed on merger along with the files of the three directorates for which she was responsible. The surviving file is her personal collection of documents.

---

Reference: GB 2781 COGS/U

Dates of creation: 1948-1999
Extent: 1 large box

---

These records were collected together as historical evidence of the College's activities.

Reports, guides, prospectuses, promotional information, photographs, memoirs-especially of the 50th anniversary of the College, student records from the Youth Employment Service 1950-1975, and selected minutes reports, correspondence, course details, applications and admissions, and photographs from the early years of the College at Lamorbey Park near Sidcup in Kent.

---