Careers and Enterprise policy

We aim to raise aspirations, challenge stereotypes and encourage students to consider a wide range of careers. The CEIAG programme in school offers information, guidance support and advice to assist students with making well informed realistic career decisions across all key stages.

We intend our students to:

• Develop a broad understanding of the world of work and student’s ability to respond to changing opportunities
• Develop independent research skills so that they can make good use of information and guidance
• Develop and use their self-knowledge when thinking about and making choices
• Develop the skills they need to review achievements, plan future actions, make decisions, present themselves well and cope with change and transition.

The Academy recognises the importance of students being aware of their skills and working to develop them. As such, activities during Years 7, 8 and 9 are focused on developing the employability skills of students. This is achieved through PSHE lessons and enterprise days. Another element of the Key Stage 3 Careers Curriculum is the idea of learning about the different types of jobs. This is achieved through assemblies led by local employers, our careers fairs. By the end of Year 9, students will explore the career options their chosen GCSE subjects will provide them with.

Building upon the learning of students from Key Stage 3, the Key Stage 4 programme focuses on preparing students for the world of work. The careers education in Key Stage 4 is based on the practicalities of the workplace, including how to create a good CV, interviews tips and customer service skills. The school prepares students for the post 16 transition through interviews with our Careers Adviser, guest speakers from Universities in assemblies and through activities during PSHE sessions.

 

What is CEIAG?

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) consist of:

Careers Education

Careers Education helps individuals to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding required to make appropriate choices, to manage transitions in learning and to move successfully into work. Careers Education takes place mainly through work in lessons.

Careers Information, Advice and Guidance

Careers Guidance is a means of enabling individuals to apply the skills, knowledge and understanding they have learned to make appropriate
decisions about learning and moving into work. It is impartial, client centred and confidential. Careers Guidance takes place mainly through individual support.   

 

Aims

The aims of our Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Policy are:

• To contribute to strategies for Raising Achievement, especially by increasing motivation.
• To support Inclusion, challenge stereotyping and promote equality of opportunities.
• To encourage participation in continued learning including Higher Education and Further Education.
• To develop Enterprise and Employment Skills.
• To reduce drop-out and course switching within Education and Training.
• To contribute to the economic prosperity of individuals and communities.
• To meet the needs of all our students through appropriate differentiation.
• To focus students on their future aspirations.
• To develop staff so they deliver high quality careers education
• To ensure all students have access to all opportunities which will improve their decision making
• To involve Parents/Carers

 

Y7 and 8 - Raise aspirations and explore

We intend that our students have a heightened awareness of the changing labour market and what this means to their future. Students will experience opportunities which will make them reflect on the kind of career they would like to explore and be given the chance within school, to do so. We want to make sure that all students have access to such opportunities so that they can make tentative decisions and really aim high in their thinking about their next steps.

We will achieve this:

Using UniversityGo!

Support National Careers Week

Employability skills embedded in the curriculum

Having a range of employers in school throughout the year

Visits to Sheffield Hallam University

Responding to opportunities that present themselves which will benefit the students

Y9 - Broaden my choices

We intend that our students to have a careers curriculum that is aspirational, ensuring all students are aware of the possibilities open to them, delivered through a range of enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities. There will also be extensive support for students and parents to ensure students are best prepared for their KS4 choices to maximise potential. This will be a varied and staged approach to the exploration of career pathways and the development of employability skills across the curriculum and to ensure that students have the essential skills to be work ready.

We will achieve this:

Supporting National Careers week

STEM projects

PSHE in form time and assemblies

Employability skills embedded in the curriculum

RE lesson drop down

Careers marketplace event

Responding to opportunities that present themselves which will benefit the students

Y10/11 - Secure my best choice

 We intend that the tracking of students’ career aspirations and progress towards achieving this next step is vitally important. We will help to guide and  tailor provision offered  and inform students of up to date local and national Labour Market Information to help them make informed decisions.  We will work closely with local institutions to ensure that all students are geared towards the most appropriate destination for that individual. We will also be helping students to develop the appropriate attitudes and values required to become work ready. We will encourage, support students which in turn will build students’ self-esteem and develop confidence and resilience to aim high and attain their career aspirations

We will achieve this:

Visits to Universities

Careers marketplace

Presentations delivered by careers advisor

Employer supporting school

SHU Bitesize

Employability skills embedded in the curriculum

Responding to opportunities that present themselves which will benefit the students

Post 16 - Take my place

Our intention at Key Stage 5 is to provide provision which will continue to prepare our students for the world of work or university depending upon their choices. We provide students with the opportunity to see if university life is for them through visits and support them through the application process. We also offer the opportunity to complete work experience and continue to prepare them for the world of work through PSHE sessions and assembly briefings. We also want to offer students a breadth of choice for their future education or employment by engaging students in the wider labour market.

We will achieve this:

UCAS support evenings

Open evenings

Support with transition to University

Team building skills

Responding to opportunities that present themselves which will benefit the students

 

IMPACT - Monitoring and evaluation

 We intend to measure the impact of our careers programme by using the following:

• Half termly student voice
• Regular staff surveys
• Questionnaires for all employers used in the Academy
• Regular parent/ carer information evenings and surveys
• Student Employability booklets which will be skills based – rewards
• Regular monitoring of careers in the curriculum
• Monitoring of delivery of careers and personal development in form time
• Student engagement with careers advisor and / or unbiased advice from staff
• Evidence of all careers activities in and around the Academy