Careers Programme

Careers at CCHSG (CEIAG- Careers Education Information, Advice and Guidance)  

Intent

Depth of Knowledge: 

All students develop depth of knowledge about how to pursue their Post 16 and Post 18 ambitions whether it is Oxbridge, university, apprenticeships or the career of their choice. We aim to promote understanding of key employability skills to support students in achieving personal economic stability and wellbeing.  

• Provide comprehensive, fully up-to-date information to alert students to the wide range of future opportunities open to them, and to support students and their thinking and decision-making

Richness of Experience:

Students are given opportunities in school to expand their horizons in an ever changing workplace through visiting speakers, employer engagement and leadership development.

• Empower students to plan, access and manage their career choices and transitions

Development of Character

Students have opportunities to develop the skills and attributes that are needed to excel at the next step of their education and to prepare for Post 16 and Post 18 ambitions

• Raise aspirations, foster self-esteem and motivate students to achieve their full potential
• Promote equality, diversity, social mobility and challenge stereotypes
• Empower students to plan, access and manage their career choices and transitions

Implementation

 The eight Gatsby Benchmarks are a guidance system developed to enable secondary schools such as CCHSG to provide students with the best possible careers education, information, advice and support. 

These benchmarks have been firmly embedded into our stable careers programme from year 7 all the way through to Year 13, through a bespoke PSHCE programme, enterprise days, extra-curricular clubs, charity events as well as blended into regular subject areas.  There is also opportunities for 1:1 Career discussions with our independent Careers Advisor.

Careers Programme

Supported by external speakers and wider opportunities as part of co-curriculum

A variety of activities designed to introduce students to: the concepts
of employment, higher education, careers and career paths/portfolios, the wide
range of future potential pathways open to them as they progress on from school
and the information, advice and guidance that is available to them at CCHSG to
help them decide between, and access, these opportunities.

Year 7

• Starting the journey:
• Investigating resources and employability skills

Year 8

• The Real Game
• Post 16 options
• GCSE options

Year 9

• Careers week
• Employability skills
• The Cereal Box Challenge
• Enterprise Day

Year 10

• Interviews for employment, testimonials, professional correspondence
• CV Writing
• Enterprise Day
• Apprenticeships
• Building a portfolio volunteering,
• Post-16 opportunities,
• getting a Saturday/Evening/Vacation job
• Child Labour and the La
• Opportunity to participate in the DofE Award at Bronze Level.

Year 11

• Options Post 16-
• How to choose A-level subjects
• Introduction to Russell Group
• Oxbridge application process
• Advice on searching for a job,
• taking a Gap Year,
• volunteering,
• National Citizen Service
• possible activities over the summer holidays.
• DofE Silver Award is available to Y11 students.

Year 12

• Gap year opportunities
• Applying to University
• Apprenticeships
• CV writing
• taking a Gap Year,
• National Citizen Service,
  applying to Higher Education,
• Oxbridge discussions with Heads of Department,
• UCAS registration, volunteering, writing Personal Statements and review a of Personal Statements with subject specialists. 
• Forward Thinking Day – a day off timetable which includes external speakers from Higher Education and employment. 
• Students are encouraged to visit open days, take part in masterclasses and summer schools. 
• Students have an opportunity to take part in the Young Enterprise programme. 
• Students are encouraged to undertake work experience in order to support Post-18 progression.
• DofE Gold Award is available to Y12 students

Year 13

• Applying to university
• Admissions Test Support
• Mock interviews
• Oxbridge Support
• Applying for employment
• Guest speakers; Admission tutors from Oxbridge, The UCAS Process, Personal Statement Refinement, Student Finance, The World of Work, Apprenticeship Schemes, GAP and general Q&A regarding futures.

Additional support is provided on an individual basis, with our independent Careers Advisor, subject teachers and Pastoral Team.  

The Pandemic did not deter CCHSG from providing our students with the best possible opportunities to ensure their Post-16/18 goals. 

In addition to the above this is how we met the Gatsby Benchmarks in 2020-2021

Why we have an outstanding careers provision.

• Wide range of opportunities
• Programme from Y7 to Y13, embedded into PSHCE
• Kudos programme to investigate career options, qualifications and salaries
• Opportunities created relating to specific subjects/careers e.g. Medical profession, journalism, IT.
• Broad and balanced advertising of opportunities; weekly bulletin to students & parents, PSHCE, Year Information
• Ambitious: Careers week to specific year groups & Careers Fayres signposted
• Impartial Careers Advisor
• Every Opportunity for every child – a variety of careers, apprenticeships and higher education opportunities are included in the programme
• Cultural capital; speakers, skills and attributes they need to succeed in later life
• Prepared for the future; Young Enterprise, Dragon’s Den (Y9 Enterprise Day), skills and resilience development
• Guest speakers e.g. School of Economics, University of Essex
• The Careers Library is open to students, providing full internet access, specialist Careers software and wide-ranging paper-based resources.

Impact

CCHSG measures impact of our successful careers programme in several ways

Work Experience

Students successfully participate in Work Experience especially in Y12/13 to try careers before embarking on a course of study; organised by students and parents

• Work experience to expand horizons and be exposed to cultural capital
• Work experience opportunities to overcome challenges eg coaching
• Range of experience; online, face to face, volunteering, paid
• Examples of work experiences:
• Care Home, Hospital, nursing home, animal hospital
• Coaching; swimming, dance, gymnastics, riding stables
• Leaders; Cubs, rainbows, youth club
• Charities; Oxfam, Wilderness, Hospice,
• St John’s Ambulance
• Library assistant
• Retail

Leadership and Personal Development Opportunities

• Role model to other students
• Organising, planning and execution of events e.g. Wellbeing Reboot Day
• Develop skills; time management, good communication, organisation
• Lead meetings, give speeches, attend and actively participate in events
• Positions include; Head Student Team, Society Leaders, Mentors, Supporting Subjects, Hospitality events, Duke of Edinburgh, leading activities in productions, sports and lessons

Promotion of character development

• Achieve personal goals
• Achieve academic success
• Improve strengths and talents
• Find fulfilment and satisfaction

Destinations

Destinations Summer 2021

Yr 11

• A-levels
• College
• Apprenticeship
• Yr 13

116 students have accepted a final place at University

• 10 Oxbridge
• 9 Medicine
• 2 Vets
• 8 Gap Year
• 2 College
• 0 Apprenticeship

Evaluations

We use the Compass Tool https://compass.careersandenterprise.co.uk/info to evaluate our programme, in addition to student evaluations, event evaluations and student voice. Adaptions are made to improve the programme year on year to give our students the best up to date provision possible.

Further Information

Organisation of the Careers Department

The Careers Department plays a full and active part in the life of the school

Careers Leader: Mrs Hughes 01206 576973 email: office@cchsg.com 

Mrs Hughes is the first point of contact for any questions or suggestions about our careers programme. Parents, employers or education/training providers can contact Mrs Hughes using the above contact details.

The school employs an independent Careers Adviser – Mrs Kee from Prospect Careers. Students can request an appointment with Mrs Kee by seeing Mrs Tarrier or Mrs Ward. She can also be contacted at Jkee@cchsg.com or office@cchsg.com

Our policy statement on Provider Access sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the school for the purposes of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

Policy Statement on Provider Access

Monitoring, review and evaluation

The Scheme of Work and the CEIAG Policy is reviewed every two years. The School monitors delivery in lessons by observations and learning walks, and student evaluation and feedback to inform future planning. Each year’s Careers Department Improvement Plan is constructed to reflect the objectives outlined in the School Improvement Plan, and develop CEIAG provision further.

Areas of quality assurance that we take into consideration:

• The quality of the careers programme. CCHSG holds and continually seeks reaccreditation of a national quality award for CEIAG. The programme is reviewed using the Gatsby Benchmarks.
• The quality of independent careers providers
• The quality of careers professionals working in the school.

The impact of the careers programme is measured by the analysis of:

• destination data
• feedback from students, parents, teachers and employers.

References:

DfE Statutory Guidance: Careers Guidance and inspiration in schools (October 2018)

Good Career Guidance – Reaching the Gatsby benchmarks: The Gatsby Charitable Foundation

Careers engagement – a good practice brief for leaders of schools and colleges by ASCL, ATL, NFER and 157 Group (April 2014)

A Guide to Best Practice and Commissioning Careers Guidance Services by the Career Development Institute (June 2018)

HM Government – Inspiration Vision Statement (September 2013)

DfE The Education Act 2011

An annual review of the information published in the careers section of our website takes place on 1 November

Useful Websites

Post 16 and post 18 routes – further information 

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/vacancies/time-to-apply/

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/

http://www.theaimgroup.co.uk/

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

https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships-uk

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

https://www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships

http://www.apprenticeshipguide.co.uk/

https://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/

http://essexprovidernetwork.com/apprenticeship-vacancies-providers/

https://www.gov.uk/find-traineeship

https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/699399/Higher_and_degree_apprenticeship_fact_sheet-090418.pdf 

Traineeships 
Find a Traineeship:  https://www.gov.uk/find-traineeship 

T-Levels 
T-Levels:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-t-levels/introduction-of-t-levels 

A-Levels 
Facts about A-Levels:  https://www.ucas.com/further-education/post-16-qualifications/qualifications-you-can-take/levels 
University 
Why go to University?  https://www.makehappen.org/guide/why-go-to-university/  UCAS:   https://www.ucas.com/ 

Find a course 
National Careers Service course finder:  https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-a-course/search  Qualification

Levels explained 
What qualification levels mean:  https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels 

Financial Support 
Further education courses and funding:  https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help  Support and

Skills Assessors

Skillsometer 

Complete the Skillsometer quiz by clicking the link below and find a list of job suggestions based on your interests and skills. 

www.lmiforall.org.uk/cm3/widget.html

Careerometer 

Click on the Careerometer link below to find out how much you can earn per week for any job and how the pay is compared nationally. 

https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/cm2/index.html 

Get the up to date information  on top employers, and search for the latest jobs, courses and advice: https://successatschool.org/

Please see below for some recommended websites linking to Labour Market Information. 

The Essex skills insight and economic growth tool: https://tinyurl.com/yy8h4kf3 

The Essex data signposting tool: https://tinyurl.com/y5gbecrf 

The Labour market Profile for Essex and comparison across other Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP’s) Tool: https://tinyurl.com/y4cwsnt4 

The East of England Labour Market Information – Working Futures, Employer Skills Survey and Employer Perspectives Survey (further information below: https://tinyurl.com/y3q9pfj3 

• Working Futures: Working Futures uses robust sources of national data on demographics, education, employment and the economy to make projections of the UK labour market. This presentation includes information on future growth sectors and future growth occupations. 
• Employer Skills Survey: The Employer Skills Survey is the UK’s definitive source of intelligence on employer investment. This presentation uses information on training behaviour and recruitment of young people and education leavers from the survey. 
• Employer Perspectives Survey. The Employer Perspectives Survey provides insights into the thoughts and behaviour of UK Employers as they make decisions about how to engage with training providers, schools, colleges and individuals in the wider skills system, to get the skills they need. This presentation includes information on the sources of external training that employers use. 

The latest employment figures from the Office for National Statistics: https://www.ons.gov.uk/ 

The UK Data Service – primary data sources: https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/themes/labour/key-data.aspx 

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – labour market data and analysis on employers’ recruitment, redundancy and pay intentions: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/trends/labour-market-outlook 

Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP’s) news: https://www.lepnetwork.net/news-and-events/?type=newsArticle 

PayScale combines salary data with superior software utilising AI and the most advanced reporting tools available to help individuals know their worth and employers to get pay right: https://www.payscale.com/ 

Advice 

National Careers Service (webchat and freephone):  https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ 
Call: 0800 100 900 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm Saturday