Some Sort of Bridge: The Foundation and Early Years of the Careers Research and Advisory Centre

In 1964 two recent Cambridge graduates, Adrian Bridgewater and Tony Watts, founded the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC). Their intention was to address a need that they both experience at first hand: the absence of reliable, independent and useful information and advice which might back up the significance of decisions about school exams, degree courses and careers. At the same time, the government and employers were becoming increasingly aware of the need to match prospective employees with the right jobs for the national good..

CRAC was a not-for-profit organisation that sough to 'build some sort of bridge' by using finance raised donations and the profitable areas of its business to fund those that could not pay for themselves. Long before the phrase had become an accepted part of the business dialect, CRAC was among the first social enterprises in the country.

Working often on a shoestring and relying on vision and foresight, CRAC's first ten years saw rapid expansion in both operations and influence. This book tracks that first decade, tracing the highs and lows and exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by this successful social enterprise as it grew.

The economic and social landscape has changed so much in the intervening decades but the CRAC story continues to offer lessons, not only for those with an interest in the careers field but to anyone who wants to understand better how a social enterprise can prosper.

240 x 160mm; hardback, 144 pages in black and white with jacket.

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