Careers

Aims of career information and education

It is an exciting time for young people today as the landscape of the world of work is changing rapidly. There are many jobs which are current students will do which have not yet been invented yet. How do you prepare students for this? By helping them develop resilience, flexibility and motivation they will need to succeed in which ever avenue/s they wish to follow.

THS has a duty to provide good quality independent careers guidance for all students (The Education Act 2011 / Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers January 2018).

We strive to help every student making the right choices for their post 16 progression whether that be A levels, apprenticeships and vocational pathways, we will support students in making well-informed decisions.  By providing access to independent information and guidance about the range of options we help students make key decisions informing them of all their options and introducing them to the world of work and a wide range of possible careers. We aim to prepare them for whichever pathway they choose by giving students a set of qualifications so they can take their next step on their learning journey and to be the best they can be.

Our aims

• to raise students’ aspirations.
• to provide support to students to make informed decisions about options in year 8 and 9.
• to inspire and empower students to make informed decisions.
• to provide good quality independent and impartial careers advice to students which inspires and motivates them which also meets their individual and personal needs.
• to provide opportunities to work with employers.
• to enable student to work closely with local colleges and others to provide opportunities to inspire students through real-life contact with the world of work
• to develop employability skills including desirable skills for self-employment and enterprise.
• to challenge stereotyping and promote equality of opportunities in all areas of employment.
• to support students to see learning and careers development as a life-long process.
• Introduce Gatsby

Our school measures its careers provision against the set of the eight Gatsby benchmark framework that we use for improving our support. These are:

Benchmark 1: A Stable Careers Programme

Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by Students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.

Benchmark 2: Learning from Career and Labour Market Information

Every Student and their parents should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make the best use of available information

Benchmark 3: Addressing the Needs of Each Student

Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each Student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.

Benchmark 4: Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of careers paths.

Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees

Every Student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.

Benchmark 6: Experiences of Workplaces

Every Student should have first-hand experience of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing, and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.

Benchmark 7: Encounters with Further and Higher Education

All Students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.

Benchmark 8: Personal Guidance

Every Student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all Students but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

Evaluation

These benchmarks are delivered through students’ weekly personal development lessons, a range of assemblies, development days, lessons, visits and talks throughout the year.

Please can you take a moment to evaluate the careers experience you were involved with so we can reflect on your feedback and improve the experience for all stakeholders for next time.