Carol Taylor is the Operational Director for the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). She has 30 years’ experience of teaching and managing basic skills with learners of all ages. She has been a primary and secondary teacher, worked in HE and FE, and in local authorities. She was formerly an adviser for Travellers and for Family Literacy, head of outreach at an FE College and a Community Tutor for Derbyshire’s Adult Community Education Service.

In 1997 Carol was appointed Director of Read On Write Away!, a newly created partnership literacy organisation in Derbyshire. This developed into a nationally recognised example of partnership working, and of community-focused basic skills, winning a number of awards and leading on literacy, language and numeracy in the region.

In 2004 she became the Deputy Director at the Basic Skills Agency and later, as the Director of the BSA, managed it through its closure and its merger with NIACE.

Carol has served on a number of national bodies concerned with family literacy, language and numeracy and community focused basic skills; she has contributed to a range of publications particularly on family and community literacy. She has post graduate qualifications in Literacy and Counselling.