Meet the team
David Cameron explains the big strategic challenges he faces as CILEX’s director of education and how the values of the organisation motivate him
What is your role and responsibilities?
I am the Director of Education, making me responsible for all of CILEX’s education provision and standards. As such, I oversee the CILEX Law School, which delivers our qualifications, apprenticeships and courses, and the CILEX Awarding Organisation, which is responsible for maintaining our qualifications and upholding our professional standards.
My role also covers education policy and public affairs, advocating for our members and ensuring CILEX and its career options are open to as many people as possible.
Tell us a bit more about your background? How did you come to work at CILEX?
After a career in teaching, I moved into higher education, working on a teacher training project at Canterbury Christ Church University, where I completed a doctorate in education.
I went on to run a project at the Institute of Physics on professional development for science teachers. There was a shortage of people with a background in physics actually teaching it in schools and we had government funding for some years to address this. I also developed new professional standards for physics coaches, mentors and teacher trainers which allow professional practice to be recognised at chartered physicist (C.Phys) level.
I continued focusing on professional development at the Department for Education, heading up the curriculum support programmes for teachers of English, science and computing. This included making a successful Treasury bid on computing education, leading to an £84m commitment for a programme to transform participation in computer science, particularly amongst girls.
Before moving to CILEX, I was the Assistant Director of Professional Development at the Royal College of General Practitioners, with responsibility for its CPD provision.
My role at CILEX feels like a culmination of all of these jobs. I feel I can really make the best of all my experience and expertise.
What is a typical day like for you?
It’s a mix of supporting my team – which is about 60-strong – to address operational issues that arise and thinking about how to move forward on CILEX’s strategic objectives.
These include ensuring the success of the CPQ, raising the profile of CILEX Law School across the legal education sector, ensuring CILEX members have access to high-quality CPD, and building strong pipelines of candidates into CILEX qualifications, whilst keeping an eye on commercial opportunities.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are supporting a review of legal apprenticeship standards so that apprentices and employers have access to a good set of standards with appropriate funding. The aim is to ensure we can meet the career aspirations of apprentices and the needs of employers.
We are also working with Pearson to develop the new T-Level in legal services, which hopefully will come out in September 2023.
An ongoing priority is to make sure our qualifications and CPD provision meets the need of our members and their employers. This year, I will be particularly focused on strengthening our relationships with employers.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The values that drive CILEX really motivate me. Our values provide a genuine sense of purpose; looking to break down barriers and give people opportunities to get into valuable careers is really motivating.
I’ve worked in several organisations now and this is the most supportive and effective executive and board that I’ve come across. I’m also fortunate to work with an extremely committed and talented team in the Education directorate.
What do you like to do away from your job to relax or have fun?
I have three small children, so relaxation is a challenge, but I do enjoy spending time with my family.
When I do have time, I like to go long-distance running. It’s not what you might call ‘fun’, but it helps clear my head and your frustrations tend to melt away when you’ve been running for 10 miles.