My father, David Peck, who has died aged 90, was principal careers officer (PCO) for Shropshire, and served as president of the Institute of Careers Officers and as chair of the Association of PCOs.
A passionate advocate for the profession, he was never afraid to stand up to politicians to further the case for career guidance for people of all ages. In his year as president, 1978-79, David’s capacity for networking and writing won influence with the then employment secretary Jim Prior as well as with decision-makers in local authority associations.
In 1974 David set up the new local education authority careers service in Shropshire (following the passing of the Employment and Training Act 1973), at a time of global recession, rising youth unemployment and a need to improve qualifications to drive up quality.
He advocated for a chartered and graduate profession and, as lead moderator for the diploma in career guidance, supported the development of those entering the field. His strong sense of ethics often put him one step ahead of the trends, and he advocated for young people in areas of rural deprivation, and women returning to work.
Born in Hillsborough, Sheffield, David was the eldest of four children of Dorothy (nee Jobling) and Thomas Peck, a civil servant. He went to Wisewood secondary school and then became a junior clerk in the town clerk’s office, studying for local authority exams as an evening student at the technical college. At 18, he joined the RAF for his national service.
He returned to Sheffield and the city council, and also enrolled at Sheffield University as a part-time student, gaining a diploma in public and social administration. He soon began work with the Youth Employment Bureau and also ran a youth club at Hillsborough Trinity Methodist church.
In 1959 David married Pat Webster, who had been a school friend of his sister Diane. They moved in 1967 to Lincoln for David to take up the post of principal careers officer there, and six years later the family settled in Shropshire.
Three years after his retirement in 1995, he became an associate of the International Centre for Guidance Studies at Derby University, where his wisdom and experience were hugely valued. David’s book, Careers Services: History, Policy and Practice in the United Kingdom (2004), is wide-ranging and was meticulously researched.
David was known for his wry sense of humour and being able to conceal his irritation when faced with a lack of understanding of career guidance. In 2018 he and Pat returned to the Sheffield area. While his walks became gradually shorter, he continued to go out daily, enjoying the return of the willow warbler and swift each year and the call of the curlew on the moors.
Pat died in 2021. David is survived by his children, Sarah and me, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and his siblings Daphne and Duncan.
