Careers Advice and Guidance within schools is the provision of impartial student-centred advice and guidance which supports Students consider appropriate career decisions and choices which are informed and well thought through.
Considering career pathways; particularly in KS4, can be a daunting time for Students and with so many courses and pathways to choose from it is important that professional guidance is at hand. Ms Ferris’ role of Careers and Employability Officer within Landau Forte Academy Amington is to ensure each Student is confident enough and aware of their options to take ownership of their professional futures.
At Key Stage 3 the focus is on looking at the wider job market, personal values and GCSE options. Whilst at Key Stage 4, the focus is on career profiles, understanding and identifying their own skills and planning for their immediate post-16 future.
Each Student within the Academy shall receive 1:2:1 support with Ms Ferris during their time here. Within these 1:2:1 support sessions, students can discuss freely their ideas and aspirations. Ms Ferris’ role is to listen and to tailor the experience to the student in any instance with encouragement and to signpost towards opportunities within education and training for the student to explore.
The working world is ever changing as are education and training opportunities to approach it successfully. The Careers and Employability Officer will ensure inspiring and up to date accessible resources are available for students both in KS3 and KS4 to access.
It is important to identify student’s values, personalities and skills and celebrate these whilst looking to transition towards a bright and exciting professional future.
Gatsby Benchmarks
The Gatsby Benchmarks are a framework of eight guidelines that define the best careers provision in secondary schools. The report by Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation in 2014 identified the following benchmarks;
- A stable careers programme
- learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
The Gatsby Benchmarks are key in raising young people’s aspirations and promoting access to all career pathways whilst enabling them to develop their skills to achieve career wellbeing.
Experience, education and training
One of the purposes of work experience is that it allows you to gain an insight into a career and the working world. Students can gain a real sense of personal satisfaction from working on tasks and real projects that can benefit their placement organisation. Experiences such as these can really boost young people’s confidence and motivation both towards their career goals and themselves.
Communicating and working within a team are skills students will improve in work. Even if the placement is unrelated to the role a Student hopes to do, transferrable skills such as handling the pressure of tasks and time management are invaluable.
For students who are unsure of their career goals, work experience opportunities can help them evaluate whether such a role is suitable for them. For example; if a student is placed within an office environment they may find they are much better suited elsewhere and vice versa. Whilst at work students can gain insights into jobs they may not have considered. This could lead to exploration of different career paths.
Students at Landau Forte Academy Amington will supported throughout this whole process. In the lead up to their placement they shall begin their work experience portfolio which post placement will contain a journal of their placement and a reflection log. Their work experience portfolio will be an asset for admissions teams and prospective apprenticeship employers.
Students should start looking for placements by October half term. Once a placement is secured, Parents / Carers are asked to complete the Self Find form which can be found below. This ensures parents/carers agree to the placement and that the Employer is a suitable environment for the student.
Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is a real job, with hands-on experience, a salary and the chance to train while you work. You’re treated just like all the other employees, with a contract of employment and holiday leave.
Once you are 16, you can become an apprentice as long as you spend at least 50% of your working hours in England. Throughout the apprenticeship you will not be in full time education. Apprenticeships are a mixture of practical training in a job with study.
What do I gain as an apprentice?
- Gain training to be fully competent in your chosen occupation
- Begin your career path – with lots of future potential and options for you
- You get paid and train at the same time. At least 20% of your time is spent studying and theory training, often at a college, university or with a training provider
Your apprenticeship can take between one and six years to complete, depending on which apprenticeship you choose, what level it’s at, and your previous experience.
- Intermediate – equivalent to 5 GCSE passes
- Advanced – equivalent to 2 A Level passes
- Higher – can lead to NVQ level 4 and above
- Degree – Level 5-7
Different apprenticeships are available all over England, at companies large and small, in a wide range of industries and organisations. From local organisations to large national brands.
Completing your apprenticeship means you’ve earned and learned. Your training is funded by government funding and your employer which is why there is a regular salary. There are hundreds of different types of apprenticeships out there and they evolve all the time. Apprenticeships make sure you’re ‘job ready’ for the role you have trained for and earn a salary from the first day of training.
Traineeships are courses with work experience that gets you ready for work or an apprenticeship and can last up to 6 months.
You can apply if you’re:
- eligible to work in England
- unemployed and have little or no work experience
- aged 16 to 24 and qualified below Level 3
You’ll get:
- a work experience placement
- help with English and Maths (if you need it)
You won’t be paid, but you may be given expenses for things like travel and meals.
CV and Personal Statements
CV
A growing number of colleges and employers ask for a completed Curriculum Vitae, CV. A CV can be daunting to put together from scratch so the template below will help you begin.
It can be tempting to use a template from the internet and although some of these may be fine, the majority will be unsuitable for use of a secondary school student due to experience etc.
The acceptable fonts for use on a CV are; Calibri, Arial, Tahoma and Times New Roman.
If you would like support with your CV at any point please see Ms Ferris within the library or email on eferris@lfata.org.uk.
The CV guide link below will again help you understand what a CV is and the benefits of creating one.
Personal Statements
Your personal statement is the section of an application where you have the chance to show why you have selected your choice; whether it is a college course or an apprenticeship. This section will also be the opportunity to show admissions that you are able to complete the course successfully.
There is so single way of completing a personal statement, however it is important that it is structured and flows well.
Below is the link for a template which should help you construct a successful personal statement. Once you have answered each section you can combine the paragraphs together for the finished piece.
KS4 Interview Preparation
Preparing for an interview for a course, job or apprenticeship can feel intimidating, especially if you haven’t done one before! At Landau Forte Year 11 Students will undergo mock interviews to experience the questions most asked by admissions and employers. Students will be interviewed by staff, governors and outside visitors such as employers and college staff. Students will find it beneficial to have a CV complete at this point to show the interviewer their skills on paper, as well as verbally. If you are an employer and believe you could provide support as a mock interviewer, please contact Emma Ferris on eferris@lfata.org.uk.
What are skills assessments?
Skills Assessments are becoming a big part of the application process and often require people to think quickly to answer a number of questions under timed conditions;
- Psychometric – designed to test your personality and whether you would be a good fit for the company you want to work for.
- Literacy – designed to test how quickly you can read and understand information – important if you are going to be handling information and communicating via email with other employees!
- Typing – designed to test how quickly you can process information and the speed of your typing – vital if you have to communicate via email or type up lots of reports in your job!
- Numerical – designed to test how quickly you can process mathematical problems and understand data – very important for any job where you might be handling money or customer information!
- Spatial – designed to test your problem-solving skills by getting you to answer logic questions against the clock. These skills are essential for any role.
Don’t panic! There are plenty of opportunities to practice these and they often sound more daunting than they are. Below is a link for you to practice in your spare time;
https://barclayslifeskills.com/i-want-help-applying-for-jobs/sixth-form/assessment-test
Labour Market Information (LMI)
LMI is simply information that tells us which careers are growing, declining, developing and the ones that are just beginning. LMI helps us to understand opportunities within the working world and how in demand each career path is alongside wages, working hours and locations;
- The sectors, industries and businesses that operate there
- The jobs that exist
- The number and type of job vacancies
- The sectors and industries that are predicted to grow in the coming years
- Travel to work patterns
- The kinds of skills that are/will be needed by industries and businesses
- Pay and progression patterns
Bu understanding LMI and how to use it students alongside parents / carers and the careers officer at Landau Forte can ensure practical options are considered as well as raising aspirations learning more about various careers.
If you would like a guide to understand LMI put simply, please click on the attachment below;
Below are links that may assist in your LMI research;