Careers Education CEIAG
Introduction
Our dedicated careers lead is Mrs Lindsey Pearson (Assistant Headteacher) lpearson@wixamsacademy.co.uk 01234 608950 and she is available to work with you to explore all your career options; be it post 16, post 18, academic or vocational.
To ensure that we are offering impartial careers advice, we have commissioned the services of a local Level 7 qualified Independent Careers Adviser, Mrs Katie Bastians kbastians@wixamsacademy.co.uk and she is available in school on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
A new initiative that we have introduced are our Careers Champions. We have a selection of students who have volunteered to help champion and embed careers as part of the fabric of what we do. Activities that they have been involved with recently include:
- Naming a day for Key Stage 4 which will allow them to interact with employers and educational providers, gaining information about their next steps – Future Focus Day
- Help to meet and greet visitors to the academy
- Update and maintain careers noticeboard
- Offer input into form time careers activities
- Be ambassadors for careers
What we do and how?
We believe that all students should be prepared to enter the world of work, University and beyond. Our Careers Programme promotes academic excellence and ensures students can make their own choice about going onto study at University or following another pathway such as an Apprenticeship. It also includes preparing them for future careers success and ensuring they have the tools to navigate and excel in the field or pathway of their choice.
The careers programme is delivered through a variety of activities. The activities and lessons are integrated through PSHE which focuses on the personal development of our students, values and key life skills. In addition, the careers programme is fulfilled by:
- 1-2-1 Guidance sessions
- Whole school Labour Market and Careers Info sessions
- Enrichment programmes
- Visitors/Speakers
- Trips
- Assemblies
- Workshops
- Tutor time
- Onsite Further Education and Careers Fairs
- Work shadowing and World of Work opportunities
Partners
We are lucky enough to also have signed up to partner with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP). Our careers programme is also enhanced by a range of partners, such as University of Bedfordshire, NCS, Bedford Borough Council, Lockheed Martin, Cranfield University, DWP, Stageworks, Santa Pod, Armed Forces, Bedfordshire Police, Liebherr and many more.
We welcome interest from organisations that would like to be involved in supporting our students. If you would like to contact us then please email us.
In addition to the Gatsby and Ofsted guidelines, our programme follows the guidelines set by:
- DFE Careers Strategy: Making the most of everyone’s skills (2017)
- DFE Careers guidance and access for education and training providers (2018)
- CEC: Careers and Enterprise Provision in England’s Secondary Schools and Colleges – State of the Nation (2018)
- Statutory guidance for schools and guidance for further education colleges and sixth form colleges
To support careers, learning and pathways research, the websites below are highly recommended.
www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk – lots of career information. Go to Job Profiles section to research career ideas.
www.icould.com – careers explained including real life career journeys to help with choices. Also includes other useful career and progression ideas.
www.ucas.com – UCAS – holds all Higher Education course information. You can research courses and entry requirements.
www.russellgroup.ac.uk – The Russell Group represents Britain’s leading universities – this website gives some useful information on post 16 subject choices – look under students and then click on school and college in the UK.
www.university.which.co.uk/advice/a-level-choices – helps with A level choices
www.bestcourse4me.com –looks at career and study option
https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship – for apprenticeships vacancies and information.
Post-16 options available
You must stay in some type of education or training until you are 18. There are many options available when you turn 16, look at what option best suits you and your situation, strengths and interests.
You may be eligible for the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, which can help with things like books, travel or equipment if you will struggle with education or training costs.
If you have an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan there may be different and more suitable options available to you.
Continue your studies
You could take a work-related course that will give you skills and work experience. Some courses keep your options open by giving you the chance to study different subjects. You may need specific qualifications for your career choice, so always do some research.
Combine work and study
Improve your skills, get work experience and gain the qualifications that employers need.
Continue your studies
A levels
- Description: Study a subject you took at GCSE in greater depth or choose a new one like economics, law or psychology. You could take 3 broad subjects you are interested in to keep your career options open or choose ones you need for a specific career.
- Duration: 2 years
- Assessment: Mostly exams at the end of the course
- Level of study: 3
- Entry requirements: Course dependent, typically 5 GCSEs Grade 9-4 (usually including English and maths)
- Work experience: Usually 1 week during year 12
- Leads to: University/college, higher and degree apprenticeships, work
- Find out more: UCAS Information about A levels
T Levels
- Description: Designed in partnership with employers to give you the skills and knowledge to get on in the workplace. Combines classroom learning with industry placements to prepare you for skilled work or higher level study. 1 T Level is the equivalent of 3 A levels.
- Duration: 2 years
- Assessment: Exams, projects and practical assignments
- Level of study: 3
- Entry requirements: Course dependent
- Work experience: At least 45 days on industry placement
- Leads to: University/college, higher and degree apprenticeships, work
- Find out more: Gov.uk information about T Levels
Technical and vocational qualifications
- Description: Qualifications which teach you how to do tasks specifically related to the industry and role you want to be involved in.
- Duration: Course dependent
- Assessment: Can include coursework, skills tests and exams
- Level of study: 1+
- Entry requirements: Course dependent
- Work experience: Course dependent
- Leads to: Apprenticeship, work, college or university
- Find out more: Speak to your local provider or talk to an adviser
Applied qualifications
- Description: Qualifications that give you a broad overview of working in a specific sector, like business, media, engineering, leisure or science and technology. A mix of classroom-based learning with the chance to get some practical skills.
- Duration: Course dependent
- Assessment: Course dependent (coursework and exams)
- Level of study: 3
- Entry requirements: Yes
- Work experience: Course dependent
- Leads to: University/college, apprenticeship, work
- Find out more: Gov.uk information about applied qualifications
Speak to an adviser
Call 0800 100 900 or use webchat
Webchat does not work in IE11, you will need to use a different browser ie chrome, firefox, etc.
- 8am – 8pm Monday – Friday
- 10am – 5pm Saturday
Other opportunities
You could look at what work and study options will be available to you at 18.
You could also consider volunteering to strengthen your job and study opportunities.
Exam retakes
- Description: If you didn’t get the results you wanted, you can resit some of your courses or sign up for some new qualifications.
- Location: School sixth form, sixth form college or further education college
- Duration: 1 year
- Entry requirements: 16+
- Qualifications: Level 2 and 3 qualifications like GCSE, A level and BTEC
- Leads to: Higher level or degree apprenticeship, further education, higher education, work
- Find out more: Speak to your school or college careers leader or careers adviser or our careers advisers
Combine work and study
Traineeships
- Description: A course that includes a work placement that will get you ready for an apprenticeship or a job. You’ll get work experience and some help to apply for your next steps. You can also improve your maths and English skills. You’ll get work experience and some help to apply for whatever you do next.
- Location: You’ll spend a minimum of 70 hours in a work placement with the rest of your time in college or a training centre
- Duration: 6 weeks to 1 year
- Entry requirements: You need to be aged between 16 to 24 or up to 25 with an Education Health and Care Plan with no higher than a level 3 qualification
- Qualifications: English, maths, digital and work-related qualifications
- Leads to: Apprenticeship, further education, work
- Find out more:
- ask your local college or training provider
- speak to your school careers adviser
- speak to your Jobcentre Plus adviser if you receive benefits
- find a traineeship in your area
Supported internships
- Description: Supported internships are for young people with learning difficulties or learning disabilities, who need extra support to get a job.
- Location: You’ll spend most of your time on placements with an employer, learning skills for work. You’ll also get help from a tutor and a job coach in college or with a specialist provider.
- Duration: A minimum of 6 months
- Entry requirements: Aged 16-24 with an Education Health and Care Plan
- Qualifications: GCSE English and maths
- Leads to: Work, traineeship, apprenticeship
- Find out more:
- from your school or local college
- speak to your social worker or a transition worker
- speak to your Jobcentre Plus adviser
Apprenticeships
- Description: Intermediate, advanced higher and degree apprenticeships combine practical on-the-job skills training with off-the-job learning. You’ll get training that is relevant to your job and be paid a salary. Start at a level to suit you, with support if you have special needs or a disability.
- Location: You’ll spend 80% of your time in the workplace and 20% off-the-job with some study in a college, training centre or Institute of Technology (IoT)
- Duration: A minimum of 1 year
- Entry requirements: Will be dependent on the industry, job role and apprenticeship level
- Qualifications: apprenticeship certificate, diploma, degree and masters depending on level
- Leads to: Work, next level of apprenticeship, further education, higher education
- Find out more: Gov.uk information about Apprenticeships
- For more information about what apprenticeships can offer, have a look at the latest parent pack provided by Amazing Apprenticeships:
School leaver schemes
- Description: A chance to learn and train with a large company while earning a wage. Offered in sectors like accountancy, engineering, finance, IT, law, leisure and retail. Similar to graduate employment schemes run over a longer period of time.
- Location: You’ll often rotate between different locations with the same company to get experience and it can include distance learning or time in college or university
- Duration: 3 to 7 years
- Entry requirements: Usually high grade A levels or equivalent and a keen interest in the sector you want to work in
- Qualifications: A university degree and/or professional qualification
- Leads to: Professional employment
- Find out more: Directly from company websites
Parents & Carers advice
Some useful websites to support your own research:
www.parentadviser.co.uk
www.careersadviceforparents.org
Labour Market Information
A pivotal component of our careers provision is enabling our students and their parents/carers to have access to career and labour market information (LMI). Labour Market Information is about the current economic and employment situation. It includes data on destinations, average starting salary, current trends in employment sectors and recruitment patterns. There is an abundance of LMI on Start Profile platform, and a variety of other sources given via the links below.
What is LMI?
Labour Market Information and/or Intelligence helps provide data, statistics and predictions about present and future trends in the workplace, for example Logistics is the Top occupational group sector in demand now for Bedfordshire. Occupational sectors needed for the future are – Engineering/Manufacturing, Digital & Business Management
LMI data includes information on:
- skills, career pathways and progression routes in the local labour market
- job applications and interviews
- educational institutions, courses, qualifications, entry requirements and costs
- professional bodies
- employment sectors, employers, jobs, salaries and employment trends
- jobs, training and apprenticeships
- job demands and working life
- financial planning.
What we do:
- teach students how to find and process information
- give students access to up-to-date information in a range of different formats, including online software packages
- offer the students first-hand information through encounters with employers and experiences of the workplace
Useful Websites and Information
Use the following websites to search for and find information about a whole range of jobs and industries along with up-to-date Labour Market Information.
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk
https://icould.com – take the Buzz quiz to discover your personality and then explore a wide of jobs and sectors
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157199/report.aspx?town=bedford
Target Careers – dos and don’ts for using LMI in career choices
Nomis – official labour market statistics from the Office of National Statistics
LMI for all – careers widget
LMI helps students explore and investigate key aspects of a particular area of employment.
- The sectors, industries and businesses that operate there
- The jobs that exist
- The number and type of vacancies available
- The sectors and industries that are predicted to grow and increase in the coming years.
- Travel to work routes
- The kind of skills that are/will be needed by industries and businesses
- Pay and progression routes.
Interpreting and narrowing down LMI that is applicable to a young person’s needs can become overwhelming, it is therefore better to start researching areas of interest and concentrate on those industries. We also recommend looking at local resources.
Take time to reflect on your own understanding:
- How up-to-date are you?
- How much has changed since your family went to university?
- What routes are there other than university?
We would like to help ensure our students are aware of how their subject and course choices can support career options.
We know that it is crucial that young people need to hear about careers, work and job roles from the ‘experts’ – the people doing those jobs.
We encourage students to ask visitors, speakers and employers about their career progression routes – we know that it helps them recognise that paths are not necessarily linear and throw up some unexpected career choices.
Employer Information
We are very keen to engage with businesses and employers to help us inform and educate students about local and national employment opportunities.
This links directly with Gatsby Benchmark 5 – Encounters with Employers and Employees, and Gatsby Benchmark 6 – Experiences of Workplaces. We provide many opportunities for businesses to interact with students: World of Work days, Career Carousels, Employability Skills workshops, Careers Fairs, presentations, work experience, small group work etc.
Post 16 and Beyond
The landscape for options for Yr 11 students are varied. Routes available to students include remaining at Wixams Academy to continue learning at 6th Form.
Our local college offers more vocational courses; you can see more details on their website.
There are also courses offered at Shuttleworth and Moulton College in Northampton, and Milton Keynes College.
Another local Provider is SSG
Moving On Qualifications Guide ebook
Qualification Routes after 16
Apprenticeships
- National apprenticeships website: This website has details of all apprenticeships nationwide.
- Amazing Apprenticeships: a leading organisation in the education sector, founded to tackle misconceptions about apprenticeships and promote the benefits. These monthly packs are an excellent resource to help parents and students navigate the world of apprenticeships
Careers in the Curriculum
When thinking about choosing options, students may wish to look at which careers are possible if certain subjects are studied.
Click here to explore some of the subjects we offer at GCSE and A Level, and how they can link to careers.
Materials were also provided during National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week, to support careers in Maths, English, Science, History and Geography. The materials are Key Stage specific and have lots of helpful information through links and video clips.