Careers Education and Guidance
The ‘why’
Careers Education and Guidance at the College aims to make a major contribution to preparing young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life and to help our young people make decisions and manage transitions as learners and workers. The College increasingly provides much more flexible learning routes for 14-19 year olds, so it is crucial that young people have the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices.
Careers Education helps young people develop the knowledge and skills they need to make successful choices, manage transitions in learning and move into work. Careers Guidance enables young people to use the knowledge and skills they develop to make the decisions about learning and work that are right for them.
The ‘how’
All students receive both career education and guidance from Year 09. All students have an entitlement to support from a Connexions Advisor who is based at the College. This support comes from one-to-one interviews and will also happen when the Advisor takes group sessions (in Enrichment Studies lessons for years 09 and 10; in Careers lessons for year 11).
Students who wish to have a one-to-one interview with the Connexions advisor can self-refer by visiting the Careers block and requesting an interview slot. Students may also find that their House Team Leader refers them to the Connexions Advisor for an interview session. Parents/carers are encouraged to attend these interviews, too.
In addition, students can access the Careers section of the main library - a select but focused resource collection covering a range of careers and general careers information. There are online careers education programs that can be accessed from every workstation in College (and some that students can use at home) such as Kudos, Careerscape, Streets Ahead and Jobs4U.
Year 11 and Careers
In Year 11, students are timetabled to participate in a structured careers education programme, delivered by a team of trained staff. The programme is based on the framework suggested as excellent practice by the National Association of Careers and Guidance Teachers, which you can access at www.nagct.org.uk
Broadly, the programme covers the following themes:
What are your options post-16?
Aim: To identify post-16 options and assess the relative merits of these options for you.
Making choices
Aim: To consider the influence other people have over your decisions. To be aware of how your decisions affect others. To think about decision making in the context of post 16 choices.
Making my choice
Aim: To compare three post 16 options in depth. To think more about what options might be best for you.
Job satisfaction
Aim: To think about what aspects of work make individuals happy.
Finding a job
Aim: To recognize the vast resources available to help you in your career planning; to know how to find jobs; to pick out key points from a job advert such as pay, hours and skills needed.
Careers software and an introduction to the Internet as a research tool
Aim: To promote research skills, encourage student choice and develop decision-making skills
Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) and Destinations
Aim: To encourage students to take information from a variety of sources and apply it to their individual career plans
The local economy
Aim: To gain a basic understanding of the local economy and consider how this might affect your life and career choices.
Employment and the law
Aim: To recognize the laws relating to people and work.
Key skills
Aim: To know what kinds of skills and attitudes employers are looking for, assess your own personal qualities, and to think about the kinds of jobs your personal skills might suit.
Action planning
Aim: To review your skills and abilities; to think about how they relate to careers planning; to create an action plan for the future.
CV/Personal statement and letter of application
Aim: To develop written self-presentation skills
Interview technique and practice
Aim: To consider the purpose of interviews and evaluate how to be successful at interview.
Publications to help you in your career planning can be downloaded from the Connexions Website.
If you have any questions about the Careers education and Guidance programmes at The West Somerset Community College, please get in touch, I am very happy to help.
Antony Thompson-Gardiner
Subject Leader: Careers Education and Guidance