Careers (CEIAG)

CAREERS (CEIAG)

Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is part of the core curriculum at SWCHS.

Its significance for students was emphasised by the publication of the following strategy and guidance documents by the Department for Education:

December 2017 Strategy Link

November 2021 Statutory Guidance

The CEIAG programme at SWCHS aims to inspire students to make informed and appropriate choices and plans for their future course choices, for Further and Higher Education, and ultimately for their careers.

CAREERS TEAM

Mr K TickleCEIAG Lead, - email: ktickle@swchs.net

Dr M Toogood, Careers Sixth Form Lead - email: mtoogood@swchs,net

Ms S Bertie, Careers Sixth Form Lead - email: sbertie@swchs.net

Mrs K Vanderpere-Brown, Senior Leadership Link

Ms L BellLink Governor

Mrs A Wilson, Form the Future Link

CEIAG Tel: +44 (0) 1799 513030

THE CEIAG PROGRAMME

The CEIAG programme starts in Year 7 and continues up to Year 13, and with support even beyond that for those who need it. An annual programme of careers–related events is offered, typically including opportunities to engage with a variety of companies, other employers and apprenticeship providers, work and laboratory experience, university and college talks, careers and apprenticeship fairs, mock interviews and other opportunities. The programme aims to motivate students by encouraging them to think carefully about and to plan for appropriate progression pathways. The planned programme for the 2023-2024 is outlined below, but please note that events involving external provision are necessarily subject to change. In any case the CEIAG programme is intended to be flexible and adaptable as further opportunities become available.

SWCHS has a strong commitment to the provision of extra-curricular opportunities for our students. These help students to pursue ‘CV-building’ activities, such as student voice, student-led societies, other leadership and character development activities, and also specific career-linked activities within subject areas. We are also working to embed work-related skills within the formal subject curriculum through offering students opportunities to develop “SkillsBuilder” competencies. We have recently been awarded a SkillsBuilder Silver Award for our ongoing work in this area.

The CEIAG programme is viewed as an entitlement for all students, and in Years 7 to 9 all students experience timetabled careers lessons within the PSHE carousels. As far as possible we offer individual support and guidance, with the belief that every individual matters equally, and should receive equal access to provision, advice and guidance. Our students are encouraged to have high aspirations, to aim for excellence, and to consider the broadest range of career areas and appropriate educational and personal development routes.  For some students this will mean encouragement and mentoring for applications to the most selective universities. For others, it will mean similar encouragement and mentoring for a directly career-related or talent-related path. All academic and vocational paths, ranging from university and other course options, to jobs, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship, are covered fairly and impartially.

In line with government policy, our work is now benchmarked against the ‘Gatsby Benchmarks – the recognised national standards for school careers provision.

POST-16 PROGRESSION

All students must remain in some form of post-16 education, apprenticeship or formal training.

The vast majority of our Year 11 students choose to progress into the Sixth Form at SWCHS, where the published entry criteria for any of our post-16 ‘routes of entry’ are achieved. Of those who leave SWCHS, most transfer to other educational institutions. A growing number take apprenticeships. Of those who leave at 18, most proceed to degree and other higher level courses, with many gaining places at the top universities. Again, the proportion of students applying for post-18 apprenticeship opportunities is increasing.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

All students in Years 7 to 9 experience careers lessons within the PSHE carousels. All students in Years 8 to 11 (and many in the Sixth Form) experience careers workshops delivered by our external partners, Form the Future CIC. We also work with Form the Future to provide all students in Years 8 to 13 with access to career guidance sessions and additional workshops (eg apprenticeships) on request, or by staff or parent referral. This external guidance is high quality, impartial and independent.   

SWCHS SENCO and his team work with appropriate organisations to identify and support vulnerable young people and to facilitate optimal transitions for them.

CAREERS INFORMATION

The school Learning Centre and the Sixth Form Study Centre both have well-stocked careers information libraries which contain books, prospectuses, leaflets, supplements, lists, links and other resources. A variety of online resources are made available, with all students (and therefore parents) given access via a secure log-in to the comprehensive Unifrog careers package. This is also used to by staff and students to record careers-related interactions and skill development.

Current Job and Apprenticeship Vacancy opportunities are increasingly made available electronically to parents/carers and to students using a variety of media.

CAREERS EDUCATION

The school offers a timetabled programme of Careers Education covering the full recommended range of topics, including transitions, career areas and labour market information, and employability skills and attitudes. The ‘CEIAG DELIVERY PLAN’ below summarises the planned 2023-2024 programme for Years 7 to 11, and the  Sixth Form Careers Programme. Curriculum learning is also increasingly linked to careers through the provision of structured opportunities for students to develop “SkillsBuilder” work-related skills through subject-based delivery. The school brings in external speakers, arranges visits, and facilitates some individually-focussed opportunities and placements for Year 9 to 13 students, tailored to their future educational and career ideas and aspirations. SWCHS is developing strong links with a wide range of employers through local links and our work with Form the Future.

We are delighted to be working with external organisations such as SkillsBuilder and  Form the Future on a number of projects within our Careers Education programme, and on employability skills, employer events and mock interviews. We work closely with other local secondary schools through the Uttlesford Secondary School Consortium, including the organisation of the biannual Uttlesford Careers and Apprenticeship Fairs.

WORK AND OTHER EXPERIENCES AND EMPLOYABILITY

All students are encouraged to undertake work experience placements in Years 9 (1 day), 10 (2 days) and 12 (5 days). Work, laboratory and other experience is now increasingly used as a criterion for entry both to vocational and other degree courses at university, and also for other courses, scholarships and applications (whether job, apprenticeship, Armed Forces or other).  Some courses require students to build up an extensive portfolio of work placements, requiring long term planning and commitment. Parents can help by offering work experience or shorter shadowing opportunities, particularly in Year 9. 

Students are also encouraged to undertake a range of CV-building activities through engaging in school-related and/or other enrichment activities, which develop the personal qualities and skills required to have successful future working lives. They are also encouraged to apply for schemes, awards, masterclasses which develop their subject/career-linked portfolios.

We are working with SkillsBuilder to provide formal opportunities in subject lessons for students to identify, develop and to record achievement in eight work-related competencies. While these have often been developed implicitly within subject courses, we want our students to be able to articulate work-related skills, to record achievement using Unifrog and to develop these skills as they progress through school, and to refer to skills achievement in progression applications. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, we were awarded the SkillsBuilder Silver Award for our developing work in this area.

MONITORING PROVISION

Following publication of the DfE’s statutory guidance for schools in January 2018, the School’s CEIAG provision is now benchmarked against current best practice and legislation. We plan to use student/parent and other feedback to inform development of our programme, along with our destinations data. We are using eight ‘benchmarks’ in the Gatsby Foundation Report on Good Career Guidance for our benchmarking and in the future to validate our provision with a national quality award.

We aim to do everything we can to inspire and encourage each of our students to realise their full potential, and to have happy and successful working lives.

For further information on careers visit these sites:

 

Success at School

Is the place for young people to explore careers, get information on top employers and search for the latest jobs, courses and advice.

Unifrog

Is the complete destinations platform – a one-stop-shop for students.

NATIONAL CAREERS SERVICE

Tab to: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

BARCLAYS LIFESKILLS

Tab to: https://barclayslifeskills.com/